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John V. Hansen's blogen-usThu, 22 Feb 2018 02:07:13 -0700Sat, 08 Nov 2014 01:47:00 -0700BlogCFChttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssno-reply@johnvhansen.comno-reply@johnvhansen.comno-reply@johnvhansen.comJohn's blog - www.johnvhansen.comhttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm
noThe top 10 ‘Star Wars’ song parodies of all timehttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2014/11/8/The-top-10-Star-Wars-songs-parodies-of-all-time
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//all-about-that-base.jpg">
With Nerdist's "All About That Base" seemingly locking up the title of best "Star Wars" song parody of the year, I thought it'd be a good time to look at the best entries in this subgenre that has exploded in the last decade thanks to YouTube.
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Before YouTube, you could count the great "Star Wars" song parodies on one hand and still have two fingers left over. They are, of course, Richard Cheese's "Star Wars Cantina" and "Weird Al" Yankovic's one-two punch of "Yoda" and "The Saga Begins." But it even when Yankovic's second "Star Wars" parody dominated MTV and VH1 in 1999, a list like I'm attempting here couldn't go much beyond those three entries.
That changed soon after the prequels wrapped in 2005, as YouTube burgeoned with parodies (pop songs given "Star Wars" lyrics), not to mention original "Star Wars"-inspired songs and non-"Star Wars" songs given new meaning with "Star Wars" clips.
Today, the problem is not filling out the list of the top 10 "Star Wars" parody songs of all time; it's paring it down to 10. But "Do or do not, there is no try," right? I considered the cleverness of the lyrics and the quality of the vocals and videos in compiling my rankings.
10. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54OlVbh2fOo" target="_blank">"Wrecking Maul"</a> (2014), by Randy Turnbow, to the tune of "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus – In a timely tune considering Maul returned to "The Clone Wars" in recent years, the artist imagines the Sith apprentice being scorned by George Lucas in the scripting process ("I sure had a laugh/Cutting you in half/That's what I had to do"). The video is only passable (and don't worry, Maul's not really nude), but the facial makeup and vocals are good. (Honorable mention: Speaking of "Episode I" parodies, you'd think there'd be a good "Otah Gunga Style" riffing on Psy's "Gangnam Style." No such luck, although <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2df6x2YEeu8" target="_blank">this Funny or Die clip</a> took a truncated stab at it.)
9. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAYKVwCs_2s" target="_blank">"Star Wars Theme Song with Lyrics"</a> (2009), by Golden Tusk, to the tune of "Star Wars Main Title" by John Williams – The artist lyrically tells the classic trilogy story to the tune of the orchestral theme, and it works as beautifully as the "Saturday Night Live" skit that added lyrics to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoaKVEJ09-Q" target="_blank">"Roundball Rock."</a> The feat is especially impressive when the singer crams words into the faster segments of the piece. (Honorable mention: Corey Vidal and Moosebutter's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk5_OSsawz4" target="_blank">"Star Wars (John Williams is the Man),"</a> from 2008, features the "Star Wars" story sung to the tune of several Williams movie themes.)
8. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX3sI0q5iMI" target="_blank">"Star Wars Cantina"</a> (1996), by Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine, to the tune of "Copacabana" by Barry Manilow – The sound clips from the movie are a nice touch in this now ubiquitous classic that tells the original trilogy story. It got a lot of radio play during the 1997 Special Edition releases.
7. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIqG8NN6sIU" target="_blank">"We Didn't Start the Star Wars"</a> (2007), by Mikey Squirrel, to the tune of "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel – I would rank this one higher, except for the mediocre vocals. The peppering of Expanded Universe items into the list is a neat touch, and the video is fun to watch with the dancing clips from the films and photos for each entry.
6. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPyxstgk8oM" target="_blank">"Yoda"</a> (1985), by "Weird Al" Yankovic, to the tune of "Lola" by The Kinks – A few bars of the tune will have almost everyone, even non-fans, breaking into the lyrics of "Yoda," not "Lola" – much to The Kinks' annoyance, no doubt. I don't think that can be said for any other "Star Wars" parody song. It's far and away the best parody song from the saga's original heyday.
5. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV5WqRnFejI" target="_blank">"All About That Base"</a> (2014), by Nerdist, to the tune of "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor – It's too bad that the sexy Nerdist girls are Imperials. But for parody purposes, I can't blame them, as "no rebels" substitutes perfectly for Trainor's "no treble." Like the original a few months back, this parody is all over the web at the moment.
4. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNyE2xExktA" target="_blank">"Galactic Empire State of Mind"</a> (2010), by College Humor, to the tune of "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z – With the clever rapping by Darth Vader and epic vocals by the Leia-garbed chorus singer, this one unveils new lyrical treasures on each listen. Weak sauce on the Ewok costumes, though.
3. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEcjgJSqSRU " target="_blank">"The Saga Begins"</a> (1999), by "Weird Al" Yankovic, to the tune of "American Pie" by Don McLean – This is the gold standard of "Star Wars" parody songs as it tells the "Phantom Menace" tale straight-up from Obi-Wan's perspective while still managing to be hilarious ("But we escaped from that gas/And met Jar Jar and Boss Nass"). My only complaint is with the music video, which uses knock-off masks and costumes. (Honorable mention: 1988's "I Think I'm a Clone Now" could almost qualify as a third "Weird Al" "Star Wars" song with some "Attack of the Clones" footage thrown behind it, as <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kw_d3d0XAo" target="_blank">this video</a> demonstrates.)
2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2ftVPk-WZw" target="_blank">"Moves Like Jabba"</a> (2011), by Break Originals, to the tune of "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 – In addition to snort-worthy lyrics ("He's got big boobs like Jabba"), the music video is brilliant. It makes Jabba look like he's dancing and smoothly intersperses film clips with new costumed dancers. (Honorable mention: MADtv did their own <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_93QVNSCmg" target="_blank">animated take</a> on this tune.)
1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpvlTVgeivU " target="_blank">"Midichlorian Rhapsody"</a> (2010), by Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff, to the tune of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen – The lyrics beautifully -- and humorously ("Jar Jar ... I sometimes wish you'd never been born at all!") -- tell the prequel saga from Anakin's perspective. While using movie clips might seem lazier than making an original video, it is the right choice here, as the scenes add power to the song, and vice versa – for example, the music gets aggressive as Anakin slips to the dark side. More than just a joke, this song brings a tear to my eye. And yes, that is the same Maya Bohnhoff who has co-written "Star Wars" novels with Michael Reaves! (Honorable mentions: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi7KPDi_yQI" target="_blank">"Bohemian Rhapsody: Star Wars Edition,"</a> a 2013 effort by UAT Digital Video, focuses on the events in Jabba's palace. And if you want more from the Bohnhoffs, check out the Jimmy Buffett riff <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl_-ol7_uJU&index=2&list=PL4Wk4P8IFruNBVhU_BusA9XsIERH0SPIs" target="_blank">"Wastin' Away Again on Tatooine."</a>)
What are your favorite "Star Wars" song parodies? Share your list in the comment threads.
Star WarsMusicSat, 08 Nov 2014 01:47:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2014/11/8/The-top-10-Star-Wars-songs-parodies-of-all-time30 years later, ranking the 12 tracks of ‘Born in the U.S.A.’http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2014/6/4/30-years-later-ranking-the-12-tracks-of-Born-in-the-USA
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//springsteen-born-in-usa.jpg">
Some people called Bruce Springsteen a sellout for delivering 12 radio-friendly hits (seven became top 10 singles) on "Born in the U.S.A.," which hit record stores on June 4, 1984. Others, including his producer/manager Jon Landau, said it didn't have enough singles ("Dancing in the Dark" was written in order to fill this perceived gap).
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On the campaign trail in 1984, Ronald Reagan ignorantly and memorably labeled Springsteen's anti-war title track as a beacon of hope, but it's one of the most brilliant downer records of all time. (Although depressing music can be uplifting if you're in the right mood, Reagan wasn't looking at it from that perspective.)
Deep yet accessible, crystal-clear yet misinterpreted, downbeat yet worthy of foot-tapping ... regardless of how cynical you want to be about its creation, "Born in the U.S.A." is 12 tracks of pure spun gold.
Here are my rankings of the songs, as seen 30 years down the road, along with a memorable line from each song off the top of my head (And it's a true test of my memory, as I chose not to spin the album in advance of writing this post):
1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc_mv46NwT4" target="_blank">"Downbound Train"</a> (side 1, track 5) -- This is my third-favorite song of all time, behind only my No. 1 tracks from Camera Obscura and Belle & Sebastian. I love the way the life of the protagonist, Joe, starts off bad in the opening track, and gets progressively worse. In the final verse, he experiences something positive, only to find out he was dreaming. Great stuff.
Memorable line off the top of my head: "She just said, Joe, I gotta go. We had it once, we ain't got it anymore."
One more memorable line off the top of my head: "Now I work down at the car wash, where all it ever does is rain ..."
2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD3DdskaPhs" target="_blank">"No Surrender"</a> (side 2, track 1) -- This is one song on the record that puts the lie to the notion that it's relentlessly downbeat (at least lyrically). "No Surrender" is a positive tune about not giving up, and although it seems to fit best with young adults getting ready to take on the cruel world, it can apply to anyone who feels like an underdog in their particular lot in life. In that sense, it's like a better version of Tom Petty's "Won't Back Down."
Memorable line off the top of my head: "Maybe we could cut someplace of our own with these drums and these guitars."
3. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWAkBrSEh3I" target="_blank">"Bobby Jean"</a> (side 2, track 2) -- This is a prime example of how Springsteen universalized personal experiences, turning a heartfelt collection of lyrics into an album that aimed for the top of the charts. I always hear this as a song about lost love – and I think that's how we're supposed to take it – but Springsteen actually was inspired by his friendship with bandmate Stevie Van Zandt.
Memorable line off the top of my head: "I'm calling one last time, not to change your mind, but just to say I miss you, baby. Good luck, goodbye, Bobby Jean."
4. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fdZWbIsrFk" target="_blank">"I'm Goin' Down"</a> (side 2, track 3) -- I love the combination of the relentless riff, the fast vocals (Are they sped up kind of like "Hungry Heart," or is that my imagination?) and generally downbeat lyrics (although not at the wanting-to-jump-into-a-pool-filled-with-razorblades level of "Downbound Train").
Memorable line off the top of my head: "I go to put my arm around you, and you give me a look a-like I'm way outta bounds."
5. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=129kuDCQtHs" target="_blank">"Dancing in the Dark"</a> (side 2, track 5) -- Even the unapologetically synthesizer-driven track that Springsteen and the E-Streeters cranked out to appease his producer's desire for a first single is pretty darn good. And it's timeless, although the video of Springsteen doing dance moves with Courteney Cox during the opening leg of the "Born in the U.S.A." tour is a wonderful blast of nostalgia.
Memorable line off the top of my head: "I take a look in the mirror. Wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face."
6. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vQpW9XRiyM" target="_blank">"Glory Days"</a> (side 2, track 4) -- Springsteen's songs don't have to be about deep ideas to be great (although he has plenty of those too). This one's about running into an old high school buddy and throwing back a few beers. Since this song is about nostalgia, it's weird to feel nostalgic about it. Kind of like trying to understand a time-travel movie, I shouldn't try to overanalyze "Glory Days."
Memorable line off the top of my head: "... but I probably will."
7. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77gKSp8WoRg" target="_blank">"My Hometown"</a> (side 2, track 6) -- Surrounded by hook-laden tracks, "My Hometown" asks a listener to ... well ... listen. A bit of a throwback to the "Nebraska" album from a couple years prior, it gives details about small-town race conflicts and the steady decline of a once-booming local economy.
Memorable line off the top of my head: When Springsteen mentions putting his young son behind the wheel and telling him "This is your hometown," it's a goosebump-inducing callback to earlier in the song, when he was the kid.
8. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrpXArn3hII" target="_blank">"I'm on Fire"</a> (side 1, track 6) -- This one feels like a thematic throwback to his 1970s tracks that chronicled relationships with Mary (or Wendy, or Sandy), only it strips all the narrative away and thereby enhances the emotions of a guy in lust.
Memorable line off the top of my head: "... cut a 6-inch valley through the middle of my soul."
9. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGtE42NYtes" target="_blank">"Darlington County"</a> (side 1, track 3) -- This is a perfect road-trip song, because it's about a road trip. It especially plays well when I drive through a little strip of Darlington County, S.C., on the way to my folks' place in North Carolina.
Memorable line off the top of my head: "I see Wayne handcuffed to the bumper of a state trooper's Ford."
10. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPhWR4d3FJQ" target="_blank">"Born in the U.S.A."</a> (side 1, track 1) -- The title track ranks low on my list only because I've heard it so many times, and in so many contexts. My buddy Trevor put it on a Fourth of July mixtape of subtly anti-American-government songs, paired with the "Team America: World Police" theme. But I've also heard it incongruently blasted at sporting events. And it also works in its original meaning: A song about the horrors of an American kid being shipped off like a chunk of expendable meat to 'Nam.
Memorable line off the top of my head: "Went down to see the V.A. man. He said, 'Son, don't you understand?' "
11. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QbReXuCR6U" target="_blank">"Working on the Highway"</a> (side 1, track 4) -- It's absurdly catchy, but since we're getting lower on this list, I have to admit that this one doesn't have as much thematic or narrative depth, or a compelling point-of-view on its own topic. I'd venture to say it's the second-most-upbeat track (behind "No Surrender"), as it lauds the nobility of blue-collar work, like the main character of "Office Space" did in the final scene: "Fresh air and bucks."
Memorable line off the top of my head: "Workin' on the highway, layin' down the blacktop, workin' on the highway, all day long I don't stop."
12. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkaSxmvZnGs" target="_blank">"Cover Me"</a> (side 1, track 2) -- Something has to rank last, and even though this is a perfectly serviceable pop-radio tune (indeed, it was the second single, following "Dancing in the Dark," which was purposely written to be the lead-off single), it doesn't go much beyond being a pop-radio tune.
Memorable line off the top of my head: I guess I'll have to stick with the chorus on this one. "Come on in and cover me."
How would you rank the 12 tracks from "Born in the U.S.A.?"
MusicWed, 04 Jun 2014 23:47:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2014/6/4/30-years-later-ranking-the-12-tracks-of-Born-in-the-USAA look back at the best albums of 2012http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2013/1/17/A-look-back-at-the-best-albums-of-2012
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//beach-house.jpg">
Making a list of my favorite albums of a year is fairly simple: I think of which discs I spun most often in my Jeep in 2012, then subtract the ones that weren't released in 2012 (even though I may have discovered them during that calendar year). For me, three albums got the most airtime in my vehicle last year. They are:
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1. "Bloom" by Beach House -- The opening strains of introductory track <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuvWc3ToDHg" target="_blank">"Myth"</a> are so transporting that I told multiple people that this album would sound good on a plane. I had been listening to the disc for months assuming the lead singer was a dude with a slightly feminine voice until my music-geek buddy Chance (who recommended the album to me) pointed out that it's Victoria Legrand, a chick with a slightly masculine voice, who fronts this Baltimore outfit. Sometimes the gender of the musicians doesn't matter; if it sounds great, it sounds great.
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//killers.jpg">
2. "Battle Born" by The Killers -- Although Chance dismissed this album as a letdown, I think it found the perfect balance between the sometimes overproduced "Day & Age" (2008) and the straight-ahead rock of "Hot Fuss" (2003) and "Sam's Town" (2006). When those drums start pounding a minute into <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMbyWSGYUgc" target="_blank">"Runaways"</a> -- which continues to build like a stairway to rock heaven -- I'm not sure how anyone can't love this latest epic from Brandon Flowers and the boys.
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//wallflowers.jpg">
3. "Glad All Over" by The Wallflowers -- I have this thing where I've kept track of my favorite Nineties bands even after they fell out of popular favor. This is the fourth very strong album put out by Jakob Dylan's band since the ubiquitous "Bringing Down the Horse" (1996). Like all of the discs, the tracks tend to alternate between really good and merely OK, but because there are no long stretches of boredom, they tend to get a lot of spins from me. The Wallflowers also have a tendency to not release their coolest songs as singles -- the prime example from this album is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yU5htvuFjw" target="_blank">"It Won't Be Long."</a> (Sorry, there's no great recording on YouTube -- the Wallflowers are notoriously hit-and-miss live -- but it sounds awesome on CD.)
As you may have figured out from my top three list, I'm not as much of a music geek as I am a TV or movie geek. However, I think you'll agree that my friend Chance Oja, who is currently compiling his top 50 list (!) of 2012 albums, easily qualifies for music geekdom. His recommendations often lead me to new favorite bands. Go to his blog, <a href="http://mangoesandmusic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mangoes and Music,</a> to check out his countdown.
And share your own lists of 2012's best albums in the comment thread below.
2012 in reviewMusicThu, 17 Jan 2013 02:55:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2013/1/17/A-look-back-at-the-best-albums-of-2012Who’s the worse musician? Avril Lavigne or Chad Kroeger?http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2012/8/24/Whos-the-worse-musician-Avril-Lavigne-or-Chad-Kroeger
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//musical-notes.jpg">
With the announcement of the engagement of Avril Lavigne and Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, an important discussion broke out at work: Which is the worse musician?
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To me, the answer is obvious, and it insults the intelligence of anyone who's ever listened to music to even consider this a worthy debate. Lavigne is a genuinely good pop singer, with an impressive catalogue of catchy tunes. Kroeger is a cliched fake-angry mainstream radio rock star with depressingly bland and dark songs that give me a headache just contemplating them. While I'm no mega-fan of Avril's, a quick perusal of my collection reveals I own three of her albums -- and surprisingly, one Nickelback album, 1998's "The State," probably given to me by a friend.
But response to a Facebook query told a different story, with Kroeger overwhelmingly getting the backing among my friends as the least-bad musician. Matt, the music-geek buddy I respect most, made the argument that Kroeger writes songs and plays guitar proficiently, whereas Lavigne does neither. Fair enough, and maybe it's my fault for not phrasing the question properly. What I really want to know is: Who has better songs?
I suggest we do a rundown of each singer's six highest-charting hits (on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart). But first, let's start with what I consider to be each of their best songs:
<a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI0k7rApaCE" target="_blank">"Kroeger: Best song: "Breathe" (2000)"</a> -- Not really my thing, but it is respectable '90s grunge rock that's effortlessly catchy in a dank-back-alley sort of way, and it seemingly comes from the heart, something that can't be said about future Nickelback songs.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKn2cen8c2w" target="_blank">"Lavigne: Best song: "Anything But Ordinary" (2002)"</a> -- The most meaningful Avril song; she captures the ennui of one's early 20s with: "Is it enough to love? Is it enough to breathe? Somebody rip my heart out, and leave me here to bleed. Is it enough to die? Somebody save my life. I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please."
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cQh1ccqu8M" target="_blank">"Kroeger: "How You Remind Me" (2001)"</a> -- This edges out Creed's "With Arms Wide Open" as the worst massively popular song of all time as Nickelback's freefall from its late-'90s potential is instant. (The drop in quality corresponds exactly with the band's rise up the sales charts.)
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NPBIwQyPWE
" target="_blank">"Lavigne: "Complicated" (2002)"</a> -- Kinda slow and simple, in retrospect, although it's a cute introduction to the Canadian popster.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VMFdpdDYYA" target="_blank">"Kroeger: "Someday" (2003)"</a> -- This is why mute buttons were invented. I guess it's a story song about a bad patch in a relationship; I give it mild credit for not being as literal as some other Nickelback songs, but it's still grating and unlistenable.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIy3n2b7V9k" target="_blank">"Lavigne: "Sk8er Boi" (2002)"</a> -- The first song where Avril shows she can rock, it also has a good message about how you can't judge people based on their looks: That grungy skateboarder might be the next great guitar talent.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB0DU4DoPP4" target="_blank">"Kroeger: "Photograph" (2005)"</a> -- There are a thousand better "nostalgic for high school" songs. The songwriting is blandly literal and the way Chad's inflection is identical on every lyric makes me want to jam forks in my ears. It doesn't quite work as a parody, although it gets off to a good start when Kroeger says "Look at this photograph" and literally holds up a photograph in the music video. (It reminds me of a college newspaper front page with a track star who broke a record holding a broken vinyl record for the camera. The lead photographer of my college paper pasted that clipping to the wall with a note to his underling that said: "If you ever do this, I will kill you.")
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGR65RWwzg8" target="_blank">"Lavigne: "I'm With You" (2002)"</a> -- A strong emotional rollercoaster, although you have to be in the right mood for it. I like how "damp cold night" works as "damn cold night" if you prefer.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4y-RzVGrHg" target="_blank">"Kroeger: "Far Away" (2006)"</a> -- Oh god. After the success of "Photograph," it seems like Kroeger fancies himself as a meaningful balladeer. The problem is he can't break away from his mouthful-of-nails voice. And, in this debate, does Kroeger really get credit for songwriting when he pens stuff like: "Cuz you know I love you. I've loved you all along"?
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8QYxmpuyxg" target="_blank">"Lavigne: "My Happy Ending" (2004)"</a> -- Great buildup to a staircase of a chorus, as Avril gets a bit darker and more mature on her second album.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmeUuoxyt_E
" target="_blank">"Kroeger: "Rockstar" (2006)"</a> -- This is absolutely awful. Plenty of bands have written songs about wanting to be a rock star, and this has to be the worst. I want to punch every person in the video mouthing the mind-numbingly empty words, even Wayne Gretzky. Actually, many of them look miserable just being in the video, perhaps because the track played multiple times as the director sought the best take. Frankly, I'd rather dive into a pit filled with starving wolverines than listen to this s*** again.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg59q4puhmg" target="_blank">"Lavigne: "Girlfriend" (2007)"</a> -- This is pop bliss, and (for what it's worth in this debate) Avril also shows her acting chops in the music video, playing dual roles.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0VRj2uw9L0" target="_blank">"Kroeger: "Gotta Be Somebody" (2008)"</a> -- As far as Nickelback's catalogue goes, this one is actually decent. When he sings "There's gotta be somebody for me out there," Kroeger's voice almost achieves melody. Credit where credit is due: Unlike the band's other hits, I could imagine hearing this song in a grocery store and not smashing everything in sight. It's a bad song, sure, but it's not aggressively, obnoxiously bad.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQmEd_UeeIk" target="_blank">"Lavigne: "What the Hell" (2011)"</a> -- I love the '60s jukebox organ that kicks it off, and while the lyrics aren't deep, they are delivered in the hookiest way as Avril sings: "All my life I've been good, but now/Oh-oh-oh-oh I'm thinking what the hell?"
Like I say, I could approach my pro-Lavigne argument from two directions. One, I honestly think she's released some legitimately good singles. Two, everything Nickelback has released this century is horrible. My friend Brian summed it up best: "Nickelback set out to unleash some of the worst butt rock in the history of mankind willingly. And there's a special place in hell for them."
But I don't mean to influence the voting. Just listen to the songs above to refresh your memory, and cast your vote in the comment thread below. Who's worse among this couple?
MusicFri, 24 Aug 2012 04:09:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2012/8/24/Whos-the-worse-musician-Avril-Lavigne-or-Chad-KroegerMy top five albums of 2010http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/12/23/My-top-five-albums-of-2010
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//jennyandjohnny.jpg">
1. <a href="http://jennyandjohnnymusic.com/" target="_blank">Jenny & Johnny, "I'm Having Fun Now"</a> -- When two musicians in a relationship make an album together, it rarely results in good music; at least that's the stereotype. We think of John and Yoko or the church couple from those "Saturday Night Live" skits.
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But Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice blow that stereotype out of the water with these hooky beach tunes that gain lyrical depth upon closer inspection. Lewis' voice -- always a strong suit -- has never sounded more beautiful, her songs have never been better (yes, I'm including her Rilo Kiley albums) and Rice adds a nice vocal counterpart.
"My Pet Snakes" looks back on 2009 as "a bastard of a year," "Big Wave" examines the collapse of the U.S. economy and "Just Like Zeus" -- my favorite song of 2010 -- is pure pop bliss.
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//Brandon-Flowers-Flamingo2.jpg">
2. <a href="http://www.brandonflowersmusic.com/" target="_blank">Brandon Flowers, "Flamingo"</a> -- Fans of The Killers will want to check out this first solo effort from the band's frontman, because frankly it sounds like a new Killers album, starting with the epic opening track "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas."
Marking this as a side project, though, Flowers wanders around more within each song. He's not always aiming for a tight pop hit, and he tries out different song styles, including the folk-rocky "Hard Enough" and "Swallow It." Despite the digressions, the album as a whole calls to mind his hometown of Vegas.
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//butch-walker-album1.jpg">
3. <a href="http://www.myspace.com/butchwalker" target="_blank">Butch Walker and the Black Widows, "I Liked You Better When You Had No Heart"</a> -- In almost show-offy fashion, the talented but under-the-radar Atlanta power popper cranked out his latest disc in just five days. The collection feels effortless, but it also has depth.
The standout is "Pretty Melody," which makes nice use of a bass drum beat to separate the lines. Even with less than a week to work with, Walker delivers lyrics to mull over on "Trash Day," where he tells vignettes about what's going on in the neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, Nashville and Atlanta on the day in question.
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//Belle-and-Sebastian2.jpg">
4. <a href="http://www.belleandsebastian.com/" target="_blank">Belle & Sebastian, "Write About Love"</a> -- It's not as good as the band's last two albums, although every track could've fit on one of those. Even more so than usual, frontman Stuart Murdoch invites a bunch of guest musicians into the recording studio, and it results in interesting songs, if not an obvious hit.
The closest to a lead single is the title track, where actress Carey Mulligan sings about hating her desk job, which is highlighted by taking her lunch up on the roof at 1 o'clock. Not only does she fit in on the album, she stands out, although I'm certainly glad that Norah Jones and band veteran Sarah Martin are on board too.
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//she&him2.jpg">
5. <a href="http://www.sheandhim.com/" target="_blank">"She & Him, "Volume Two"</a> -- As she proved on those cotton commercials, Zooey Deschanel can make anything sound beautiful, and that allows She & Him -- which includes strong guitar work by M. Ward and strategic accompanying vocals -- to make its songs sound better than they look on the page.
The decision to cover "Ridin' in My Car" is spot-on; it's a tight update of the NRBQ original. She & Him delivers tasty originals, too, notably the wistful "Thieves" and the summery "In the Sun."
What were your top five (or 10) albums of 2010? Share your lists and comments below.
2010 in reviewMusicThu, 23 Dec 2010 12:53:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/12/23/My-top-five-albums-of-2010These were the catchiest singles of 2010 — for better or worsehttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/12/23/These-were-the-catchiest-singles-of-2010--for-better-or-worse
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//musical-notes.jpg">
I don't actively seek out mainstream pop hits like I used to, so when two songs are bouncing around my brain at the end of 2010, you know they were the two most ubiquitous songs of the year.
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I had heard about <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F57P9C4SAW4" target="_blank">"California Gurls"</a> before I heard it, and I assumed it would be good, since Katy Perry had delivered "I Kissed a Girl," "Hot N Cold" and "Waking Up in Vegas" on her previous album. Also, it was only one letter off from a great Beach Boys tune.
I had heard the buzz about Cee Lo's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc0mxOXbWIU
" target="_blank">"(Expletive) You,"</a> but shamefully, I didn't hear it until <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1_B9FCZJMA" target="_blank"> Gwyneth Paltrow's amazing performance</a> on an episode of "Glee." That, of course, was the clean version, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKxodgpyGec&feature=channel" target="_blank">"Forget You,"</a> which I slightly prefer. The changing of that one word makes Cee Lo more cuddly and sympathetic.
Either version, though, is superior to "California Gurls." And yet, these two earworms are crawling around my head in equal amounts right now. I'm alternating between "Cal-i-for-nia gurls/They're unforgettable/Ohohoh, oh, ohohoh" and "I see you drivin' 'round town with the girl I love/And I'm like, forget you!"
Clearly, they are both catchy. So why is Cee Lo's song great and Perry's not so much?
First of all, there's the subject matter. Perry sings about the girls who hang out on southern California beaches, and although that's a heavily populated area, it's still just one slice of the country. There are many more people who don't live in California than who do.
Certainly, there's an allure to the mythology of the unattainable California girl, and I'd argue that Perry captures that better in her video than in the forcefully hooky song, with it's clunky breaking up of the state's syllables. In the video, a naked Perry is strategically positioned on a cloud eating cotton candy; later, she shoots whip cream from her lady bits. She and all of her friends are dressed in colorful beachwear that calls to mind tasty, summery fruit.
And then Snoop Dogg shows up to do a guest rap, saying "I really wish you all could be California girls" ala the Beach Boys. But even this ultimate lady's man doesn't get the girls; they just toy with him and bury him in the sand.
Perhaps understanding that California girls are a fantasy, many YouTube practitioners came up with parodies of "California Gurls" that bring it closer to home for them. A standout is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-NksDSgKZ8" target="_blank">"North Dakota Bois,"</a> who admit "We're unreliable" but argue that their accents are adorable: "Ya know, ya know/Ya know, ya know, ya know." My favorite, though, is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-KS99BU_2A" target="_blank">"Minnesota Gurls,"</a> partly because the gals in the video are wearing Twins jerseys and partly for the great line: "Wind-chafed skin/Will turn your legs to popsicles," which puts a literal spin on Perry's sexually suggestive "We'll melt your popsicle."
(No one has made a "Mid-Missouri Gurls" video yet. I'm a bit disappointed in the AV clubbers at UCM and MU for that oversight.)
On the other hand, "Forget You" (and it's swear-word brethren, which is truthfully the version playing in my head) doesn't need to be adjusted for the audience. It's universal. The video chronicles Cee Lo, played by younger actors and then himself, who has the worst luck with women. As the backup singers note, "She's a gold digger/Just thought you should know." And they're referring to Cee Lo's first crush when he can't be a day over 10. Ouch.
It only gets worse from there. Cee Lo laments, "If I was richer/I'd still be witcha ... Ain't that some sh--!" The backup singers add "Aint' that some sh--!"
And indeed it is, but there's something cathartic about sharing your pain in a great song and having everyone relate to it. You don't even have to be a guy, as Paltrow proves by simply changing the line to "I see you drivin' round town with the guy I love ..."
"California Gurls" and "Forget You" both have colorful videos. Both singers have unique voices. Cee Lo's song is smooth while Perry's is a bit forced. Cee Lo's lyrics go more in-depth than Perry's. But ultimately, I think it's the subject that makes the difference. "California Gurls" is a flighty fantasy with a cherry on top: That twinge of regret that you'll never get the girl. "Forget You" is about the real pain of rejection followed by the catharsis that comes from writing -- or at least listening to -- a great, F-you song (literally, in this case).
What were your favorite singles of 2010? Share your thoughts below.
2010 in reviewMusicThu, 23 Dec 2010 02:53:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/12/23/These-were-the-catchiest-singles-of-2010--for-better-or-worseFolds/Hornby collaboration a compelling but mediocre experimenthttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/12/8/FoldsHornby-collaboration-a-compelling-but-mediocre-experiment
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//lonely-avenue.jpg">
Author Nick Hornby writes the words and musician Ben Folds puts the music to them. The September album <a href="http://benfolds.com/" target="_blank">"Lonely Avenue"</a> is, on the surface, hard to resist. It features one of my favorite authors and the man responsible for what I think is a perfect album, 2001's "Rockin' the Suburbs." And I can't think of a previous example of a musician and novelist teaming up for an album (let me know if there are any), so they get points for an original gimmick.
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Perhaps unsurprisingly, the results are merely OK. I don't mean to discourage creative people from expanding their horizons, but while I have loved all of Hornby's novels, from "High Fidelity" through "Juliet, Naked" (both must-reads for music snobs), not to mention his essays on music ("Songbook"), I didn't care for his stab at writing a movie, last year's "An Education" (I know I'm in the minority on that one).
And I can't understand how Folds could be so emotionally on-target with "Suburbs" and then be so all over the place since then. "Lonely Avenue" is an example of that: Why does the guy who wrote "Annie Waits," "Still Fighting It" and "Not the Same" -- three of my all-time top 300 songs -- need someone else to write lyrics for him?
This might be a case where Hornby's talents are made for novels and Folds' talents are made for songwriting. Still, there are enough interesting tidbits on "Lonely Avenue" that I resist making a blanket statement like that. And besides, Hornby is a talented writer and Folds is a strong pianist with a great voice, so there's no way this album could be completely worthless. Here are a few highlights:
• The chorus of "A Working Day" shows that Hornby, despite all the glowing reviews he has received, often suffers from a lack of confidence: "Some guy on the 'Net thinks I suck/ And he should know/ He's got his own blog."
• "Levi Johnston's Blues," about a certain Alaskan who was thrust into the political and tabloid spotlight, has a chorus that stuck in my head for days after I first heard it (for better or worse): "I'm a f*****' redneck/ I live to hang out/ With the boys, play some hockey/ Do some fishing and kill some moose/ I like to shoot the s*** and do some chilling I guess/ You f*** with me and I'll kick your a**."
• "Doc Pomus" and "Picture Window" show Hornby's interest in sick or physically challenged characters. There's nothing wrong with that, but I guess it's just not my favorite song topic.
• "Practical Amanda" is a song title that could've easily appeared on "Suburbs." But it's slow and boring, at least at first blush. It doesn't hook a listener right off the bat like the pop gems from "Suburbs."
• "Password" uses a fun device: Folds spells out several words in the lyrics, which
seem to be based on someone's Facebook profile. He puts epic lounge music to it, perhaps to show how funny it can be when the sounds don't match up with the material.
• On "From Above," Hornby comes up with a sad, poetic concept that might've been a discarded novel idea: What if we all had a soul mate out there and we passed them on the street every day without realizing it? "They even looked at each other once across a crowded bar. He was with Martha, she was with Tom. ... Most of the time was just near misses. ... Once in a bookstore, once at a party, she came in while he was leaving. ... Years ago at the movies, he sat behind him at a 6:30 showing of 'While You Were Sleeping.' He never once looked around."
• The rather beautiful final track shows that Hornby understands the depressing plight of the one-hit-wonder musician, something Folds probably experienced early in his career with the absurdly overrated "Brick." In this case, it's a piano-bar singer who has to sing "Belinda" over and over again, thus reliving the hard feelings about an ex: "No one ever wants to hear the song he wrote for Cindy. ... And he can't blame them. They can tell his heart was never really in it. ... But he's not there; he's somewhere else. He's with Belinda, in the days before he made it all go wrong."
What are your thoughts on "Lonely Avenue?" And what other musician/author collaborations would you like to see?
MusicWed, 08 Dec 2010 16:49:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/12/8/FoldsHornby-collaboration-a-compelling-but-mediocre-experimentLatest Belle & Sebastian disc a step down, but still goodhttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/11/26/Latest-Belle--Sebastian-disc-a-step-down-but-still-good
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//Belle-and-Sebastian.jpg">
Chance, a commenter on these threads, feels that <a href="http://www.belleandsebastian.com/" target="_blank">Belle & Sebastian's</a> October release, "Write About Love," is weak; I think it's decent. Actually, we're both right. It may be weak by B&S standards, but it's decent by the standards of pop music in general.
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My hopes for this album were too high for two reasons. First, it's coming on the heels of 2006's "The Life Pursuit," which produced three of my all-time top 300 favorite songs. And that album was the follow-up to 2003's "Dear Catastrophe Waitress," which featured two more of my all-time top 300.
Second, this album is wonderfully titled "Write About Love," and -- whether you appreciate the lyrics (as Chance does) or the pop musicianship (as I do) -- most fans agree that writing about love is what primary songwriter Stuart Murdoch does best.
Sadly, there are no top 300 songs on "Write About Love," but all is not lost. I have trouble appreciating the last two discs in their entirety because I skip forward and backward to "I'm a Cuckoo" and "Another Sunny Day" so often. "Write About Love" has been in steady rotation in my Jeep for more than a month and I haven't done any track-jumping. I haven't fallen in love with this album, but I do like and respect it more and more.
Murdoch's last effort before this was a side project and album called God Help the Girl, where women sang his songs, and clearly he's still caught up in the idea. The catchiest song is the title track, which has a whimsical chorus nicely sung by actress Carey Mulligan: "I hate my job/ I'm working way too much/ Every day I'm stuck in the office/ At one o'clock/ I take my lunch up on the roof." And then the backup vocalists kick in: "Up on the roof."
Norah Jones sings the chorus of the slow but pretty "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John." And Sarah Martin, responsible for the gorgeous "Asleep on a Sunbeam" from the '04 album, is on board for other tracks like "I Can See Your Future" ("I'm living in the past/ You're making history," she laments).
The strongest outing featuring Murdoch's vocals is "Come on Sister," which has some tasty video game-ish electronic sounds. "I'm Not Living in the Real World" is a musical smorgasbord, whereas "Calculating Bimbo" and "Ghost of Rockschool" are slower but still pretty. "Read the Blessed Pages," though, just strikes me as slow, complete with long woodwind breaks.
"Write About Love" isn't a step forward for Belle & Sebastian, but it does show the band's consistency. All of the tracks here would've fit somewhere on "Dear Catastrophe Waitress" or "The Life Pursuit," even if they wouldn't have stood out from the pack.
MusicFri, 26 Nov 2010 00:33:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/11/26/Latest-Belle--Sebastian-disc-a-step-down-but-still-goodJenny Lewis finds musical soulmate on new albumhttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/10/12/Jenny-Lewis-finds-musical-soulmate-on-new-album
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//jennyandjohnny.jpg">
Continuing Las Vegas Musician Week at my blog, Jenny Lewis recently released a new album, and although it's not as lyrically substantial as some of her previous efforts, it does achieve a nice, beachy sound to compliment her voice.
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This time out, the Rilo Kiley frontwoman is one-half of a duo called <a href="http://jennyandjohnnymusic.com/" target="_blank">Jenny and Johnny</a> with her boyfriend, Johnathan Rice. The record is titled "I'm Having Fun Now," and indeed, Lewis seems to have relaxed into a '60s-ish pop sound that fits her voice comfortably.
The tunes generally feel light and breezy, words I don't usually associate with Lewis, who has struck me as being a bit depressed even when her songs sound pretty.
"Scissor Runner" ("A scissor runner stole my heart") gets the album off to a silly, catchy start. I hadn't heard of Rice before this album (my music geek buddy Matt tells me I wasn't missing much), but his voice compliments Jenny's beautifully on the opening track.
Unlike Brandon Flowers' Vegas-centric album, Jenny and Johnny get away from Sin City and take a sonic trip to a California beach. Although "My Pet Snakes" references a desert creature, it is very much a beach song. On the disc's simplest and catchiest track, "Big Wave," Lewis goes lyrically surfing. "Just Like Zeus" moves the action to Mount Olympus only through the words; it still sounds like we're gathered around a beach campfire.
"Switchblade" is slow but rewarding as Lewis delivers pretty choruses to bail out the Rice-fronted song: "See you on the way up/ See you on the way down." And "Straight Edge of the Blade" is sharp performance where Lewis does most of the singing.
Although his voice isn't as amazing as his girlfriend's, Rice is good enough to hang with her, and he does his best work on "Animal": "Show your teeth to everyone/ Don't let no one prove you wrong/ You are an animal/ An animal/ An animal."
Rice's "New Yorker Cartoon," the only four-minute track on the disc, kills the fast-paced mood slightly. He returns to the mic for final track "Committed," a fill-the-dance-floor concert-closer with silly lyrics like "For God/ For country/ For Michael Jackson's monkey."
Basically, this is a pleasant new Jenny Lewis album, no matter if the name on the album is Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lewis or Jenny and Johnny. Rice makes a couple nice contributions and mostly steps back and lets Lewis do her thing. His presence won't offend longtime Lewis fans, and he might win a few of them over.
How would you rank "I'm Having Fun Now" among Lewis' catalogue? Has she found the perfect collaborator in Rice, or are you holding out for the next Rilo Kiley album?
MusicTue, 12 Oct 2010 00:06:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/10/12/Jenny-Lewis-finds-musical-soulmate-on-new-albumKillers frontman Flowers’ versatility blooms on ‘Flamingo’http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/10/11/Killers-frontman-Flowers-versatility-blooms-on-Flamingo
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//Brandon-Flowers-Flamingo.jpg">
I think <a href="http://www.brandonflowersmusic.com/
" target="_blank">Brandon Flowers</a> or his band, The Killers, will make a better album than "Flamingo" in the future, but this is a step in the direction of greatness. Working sans band, Flowers' most impressive feat on this disc is that no two tracks can be confused with each other, starting with "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas," which feels like an aural cityscape, and concluding with "Swallow It," which seems to be a message targeted at one person.
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I hesitate to say that "Flamingo" is better than The Killers' "Hot Fuss" and "Sam's Town," because it doesn't have a standout track on par with "Mr. Brightside" or "Bones" -- or "Human," from "Day and Age," which I didn't like as an album.
Nonetheless, "Flamingo's" overall effect is indeed to hook to listener. I thought I liked his work more for the rock 'n' roll side of things, but perhaps subconsciously I'm getting into Flowers' lyrics, or at least the way he belts them out with such conviction, as on "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas": "Didn't nobody tell you/ The house will always win."
Flowers (and The Killers) are among the artists in recent years who have been compared to 1970s-era Bruce Springsteen; Arcade Fire, Marah and The Gaslight Anthem are other examples. I cringe at those comparisons, because no matter how good those bands are (and they usually aren't particularly good), they can't compare to the raw, four-hour-concert passion of early Bruce and the E Street Band. But I'm starting to understand why Flowers gets that label, and it's not just because this album's first line is about a rusted-out DeVille.
My pick for best track is "Hard Enough," which has a lot of Springsteen-esque feeling to it: "This has been hard enough on you/ I know it's been hard enough on me/ I'm telling myself that I can roll with the changes." (Bonus points for having Jenny Lewis harmonize on the vocals).
The synthesizer-fueled "Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts" is also Boss-ish in the way Flowers is inspired by his hometown of Las Vegas (which has similarities to Springsteen's Jersey shore stomping grounds). He doesn't shy from the gambling metaphors: "Why did you roll your dice/ Show your cards/ Jilted lovers and broken hearts/ You fly away while I'm stuck here on the ground."
Also rather irresistible are "Magdalena," which uses a steady dose of "Oh-oh-oh-ohs," and the slow-burning "On the Floor," where Flowers shows off the deeper end of his vocal range.
Closing track "Swallow It" would make Mason Jennings proud: "You could not swallow it/ No baby, you're not ready/ Slow down, and take the time to evolve." It's not epically catchy like a Killers single, but it works in an understated, bouncy, Jennings-esque way.
There are no duds on "Flamingo"; this is a front-to-back, no-skippable-tracks disc. Still, it won't be the best album Flowers or The Killers put out. Greatness is in their future; for now, I'll settle for goodness.
What are your thoughts on "Flamingo?" Is it an impressive songwriting effort, or not as traditionally catchy as you had hoped?
MusicMon, 11 Oct 2010 21:38:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/10/11/Killers-frontman-Flowers-versatility-blooms-on-FlamingoUnrecorded cover songs you’ve heard live that blow away the original versionhttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/8/24/Unrecorded-cover-songs-youve-heard-live-that-blow-away-the-original-version
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//musical-notes.jpg">
What is the best cover song you've heard performed live by a band that has never recorded that song?
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I pose the unavoidably convoluted question because last Friday I got my own answer: Casey Jamerson and her band performing The Dream Academy's 1985 hit "Life in a Northern Town" under the Budweiser tent at the Missouri State Fair.
When I got home that night, I looked up <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXqqw-gQqzo" target="_blank">the original version</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFPmCxmnMpU" target="_blank">Sugarland's 2008 cover.</a>
The former sounds kinda '80s, but not in a good way (although I certainly give The Dream Academy credit for writing the song), and the latter version sounds kinda flat and rings false because it's performed by a decidedly non-northern band (although I certainly give Atlanta-based Sugarland credit for reviving the tune).
(Right The Stars do a version that my friend Matt told me is the most rocking cover of the tune to be found online. Unfortunately, the band's <a href="http://www.myspace.com/rightthestars" target="_blank">MySpace site</a> is set to automatically play music so there's no way to hear their version without the other music on top of it. For completists, there's also a Rick Springfield version. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkKwVY_Q8Mk" target="_blank">Here's</a> a YouTube clip of some random person's birthday video that used the song. And as long as we're being thorough, <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6GX4KQy3JI&feature=related" target="_blank">here's</a> a video of three random kids harmonizing the song in their living room.)
Jamerson is a skilled and attractive singer from a farming community in mid-America (Pendleton, Ind., in her case, which indeed qualifies as a northern town, although it's farther south than England, where The Dream Academy hails from). Despite her attributes, she'd be in danger of falling into the dime-a-dozen category except for one thing: Her band is just about the best freakin' band I've ever heard.
(I shouldn't get too carried away with my praise. It's possible that mid-Indiana music fans are saying, "They've been playing that song for years, and I'm sick of it!" Their mastery of this song and Collective Soul's "Shine" and the fact that they played identical sets for their afternoon and evening appearances does make me suspicious of their repertoire's depth. But they can't have been together all that long, because Jamerson's only CD, released in 2006, doesn't feature this lineup. And the smiles on the band members' faces suggested that this song is still fresh to them.)
Jamerson introduces "Life in a Northern Town" by explaining that all seven band members can sing, and here's a song to showcase that. And indeed, they can -- you can't help but smile when the keyboardist, who hadn't said anything all day, contributes "Watch the water roll down the drain" without missing a note.
After comparing Jamerson's band's epic, rocking version (they call themselves a country band, but I don't believe it) with The Dream Academy's electronic take and Sugarland's modern country attempt, I was sad that I couldn't hear a recording of Jamerson's version, but also happy in a bittersweet way. The best version of "Life in a Northern Town" has never been recorded, but I've heard it (twice in one day, in fact).
When thinking of your own answer to this question, keep in mind that it can't be a cover that was recorded by the band. For example, maybe you saw a blistering take on "Whiskey in the Jar" at a Metallica concert, but that doesn't count, because Metallica put that song on one of their albums.
It has to be a version that only exists in that moment when the band is playing it and you and other fans are there to bear witness. (I will allow examples that were recorded on audio or video for non-commercial purposes, of course, such as a fan-captured YouTube clip.)
In some cases, it might be an entirely fresh take on the original. For example, the following day under the Bud tent, I saw country duo Martin Ramey play a slow-burn version of "I Want You to Want Me" (and it worked well -- on the verses, if not so much on the chorus).
In other cases, the cover might be completely faithful to the original, but a notch or two better (as was the case when Jamerson and her colleagues tackled "Shine" -- and that's no disrespect to Collective Soul, just a compliment to Jamerson's band, which recognized the song's full potential to rock).
Share you own favorite live, unrecorded cover song experience(s) in the comment thread below.
MusicTue, 24 Aug 2010 22:26:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/8/24/Unrecorded-cover-songs-youve-heard-live-that-blow-away-the-original-versionMy 300 favorite songs: The top 10http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/8/4/My-300-favorite-songs-The-top-10
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//Smashing-Pumpkins-1979.jpg">
10. Smashing Pumpkins --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4_C4yhl33g&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"1979"</a> -- This song reminds me of driving around with my friends in Fargo, N.D., during my high school years. The "1979" of the title is a stand-in for anytime, I assume, since Billy Corgan's teenage years were actually the 1980s.
9. Camera Obscura --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0108B-G5qU" target="_blank">"Before You Cry"</a> -- Even though it starts off with a dude singing it, this is actually an early Camera Obscura entry. Tracyanne enters the picture after a long piano solo with "You're feeling a little sad tonight, but you'll be alright," at which point the song reaches another level.
8. Colin Hay --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5J-DtKldpE" target="_blank">"I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You"</a> -- More "Garden State"-y goodness in the form of the saddest damn song about lost love you'll ever hear. Colin's tune actually makes me feel better about being hopelessly in love, though, because I realize at least one other guy shares my pain.
7. Jewel --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGj77BrEgj4" target="_blank">"You Were Meant for Me"</a> -- Jewel's got maple syrup, but not the guy she loves. This song is such a beautifully melancholy snapshot about how you have to go through the everyday things like making breakfast even when your heart isn't in it.
6. Journey --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NQIPVqLMUg&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Don't Stop Believin'"</a> -- It was on "The Sopranos," it was on "Glee," it's played regularly by cover bands. I heard it at a baseball game earlier this year -- twice in a row. Like the rest of the world, I'm still not tired of it.
5. Arcade Fire --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-L-aXKG5vE" target="_blank">"Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)"</a> -- With a decipherable phrase here and there ("Then we think of our parents/ Whatever happened to them?"), the pride of Montreal takes listeners back to their respective childhoods and all the emotions connected with it.
4. Traveling Wilburys --
<a href="http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/devils-been-busy-by-traveling-wilburys/547t88j" target="_blank">"The Devil's Been Busy"</a> -- In a broadly political piece that's as relevant as ever, the Wilburys -- one vocalist at a time -- take on polluting corporations and corrupt governments. "Sometimes you're better off not knowing how much you've been had." True, but when the message is this relentlessly catchy, I'll listen.
3. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3-dtbnfzKA" target="_blank">"Downbound Train"</a> -- "She just said Joe/ I gotta go/ We had it once/ We ain't got it anymore." Joe can't catch a break in this song, which gets sadder verse by verse to the point where you're on your knees crying at the point where Joe is doing the same thing. And that, of course, is why I love it.
2. Belle and Sebastian --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HTBwvwVNT4" target="_blank">"Another Sunny Day"</a> -- For a while I thought this was the best pop song I'd ever heard, so I showed it off to a friend. He wasn't as enamored as I was, but he said, "Yeah, that song fits your personality." I took it as a compliment.
1. Camera Obscura --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfDg7Vz8Ow4" target="_blank">"Honey in the Sun"</a> -- How long have we had pop music? For the sake of argument, let's say 50 years, since the Beatles delivered songs like "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" in the early '60s. So for a half-century, bands all over the world in garages, on stages and in studios have tried to make the perfect pop song. Many came close, including 299 entries on this list, but it wasn't until April 2009 that a band finally achieved it, and it was Camera Obscura on the last track of its last album of its first decade of recording. The secret ingredient: Trumpets (Who knew?). The song makes me think of honeys, a sunny day at the beach, the pangs of newly discovered love and how you shouldn't be ashamed of being sentimental. The lyric is "saxophones and honey in the sun for you," not -- as some have suggested -- "sex on the phone and honey" of "sacks of frozen honey" (although that last one is giggle-worthy). But like all great pop songs, it doesn't matter if you understand every word, it just matters that you get swept away by the mood. I do, for five minutes and 42 seconds that I wish would go on forever.
OK, I'm done. That was fun. Share your own top 300 (or top 10, for the sake of simplicity) in the comment threads below if you like. Or list the songs I snubbed from my top 300.
Top 300 songsMusicWed, 04 Aug 2010 01:20:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/8/4/My-300-favorite-songs-The-top-10My 300 favorite songs: 20-11http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/8/3/My-300-favorite-songs-2011
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//traveling-wilburys2.jpg">
20. Traveling Wilburys --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8s9dmuAKvU&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Handle with Care"</a> -- George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne singing about heartache around the same microphone. 'Nuff said.
19. Dire Straits --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZxVC0GB838" target="_blank">"Walk of Life"</a> -- I remember this song, with its wonderful Hammond organ intro, was in heavy rotation in the family room of my childhood home. In the '80s, my dad was more of a song guy than an album guy, and the songs he picked probably influenced my own tastes. Lucky for me, he had good taste.
18. The Wallflowers --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca6xUP4RtUs" target="_blank">"Here He Comes (Confessions of a Drunken Marionette)"</a> -- An intoxicatingly sad story song with great lines like "Who will ignore me when you're gone?"
17. Electric Light Orchestra --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TLmpL2AzLs" target="_blank">"Hold on Tight"</a> -- Generally I wouldn't put songs from car commercials on my list. But when this song popped up in a Honda ad a couple years ago, I just wished the commercial went on for the whole length of the tune.
16. Drive By Truckers --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYdiAz4ddIg" target="_blank">"Goddamn Lonely Love"</a> -- The title says it all in this brilliantly written downer about a guy who bellies up to the bar and disappears. (But he's not really drowning in his sorrows, because he can see the beach from here.)
15. "Glee" cast --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoFtvCeTVN0" target="_blank">cover of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance"</a> -- The original is great but a little too downbeat. The "Glee" cast's multi-part harmonies add energy while the lyrics keep the song rooted in the dark place it came from.
14. Heartless Bastards --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvqkM5hmXa0" target="_blank">"Sway"</a> -- This entry from the second "Friday Night Lights" soundtrack is one of those gritty, bluesy numbers you could listen to for about an hour straight.
13. Third Eye Blind --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jngwtxj27vA" target="_blank">"The Background"</a> -- If a heart breaks, does it make a sound? The answer to that riddle is yes, and this San Francisco-set song about a lost loved one is what it sounds like.
12. Joe Ely --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDW5OWQiAp0" target="_blank">cover of Tom Russell's "Gallo Del Cielo"</a> -- One of the best story songs ever written gains new levels of brilliance on each listen, especially if it's Ely's passionate version. The song is about cockfighting -- not a topic that usually interests me -- yet it almost brings me to tears with it's beautiful Spanish phrases and twists of fate.
11. Camera Obscura --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6J3uLLi9sw" target="_blank">"Swans"</a> -- My favorite band of Glaswegians delivers a delicious ode to America ("I really think you'd like it there," Tracyanne intones, before singing the virtues of deer).
Top 300 songsMusicTue, 03 Aug 2010 00:31:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/8/3/My-300-favorite-songs-2011My 300 favorite songs: 30-21http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/8/2/My-300-favorite-songs-3021
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//sarah-mclachlan.jpg">
30. Sarah McLachlan --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3sjSnhZJk0" target="_blank">"Full of Grace"</a> -- This song was not written for the sequence in "Becoming Part 2" that follows Buffy's painful choice to send Angel to hell to save the world. But it seems like it was. When music and images work together like that, it's the highest form of artistic achievement.
29. Stone Temple Pilots --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjJL9DGU7Gg&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Interstate Love Song"</a> -- One of the definitive songs of the '90s has a relentless energy such that it could propel you down the road even without wheels.
28. Tom Russell --
<a href="http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=tom+russell+it+goes+away&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=Cz0t9txFVTK6OBI_KMsewiMYCAAAAqgQFT9B_QmI&pbx=1&fp=fb0bee69b5aae820" target="_blank">"It Goes Away"</a> -- For a guy who looks kinda like a gruff ol' cowboy on stage, Russell can churn out great sentimental tunes. This one chronicles universal painful moments, then reassures the listener that "it goes away."
27. The Concretes --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np7TlcXSYyw" target="_blank">"You Can't Hurry Love"</a> -- A great soundscape, a great voice, a great message. Some accused the Concretes of trying to mimic Camera Obscura, but that sounds more like a compliment than a criticism to me.
26. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8PB1a1c9zA&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Girls in Their Summer Clothes"</a> -- If the girls in their summer clothes even pass Bruce Springsteen by, maybe I shouldn't feel too bad.
25. Marvelous 3 --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXDhDVb-xHU" target="_blank">"Indie Queen"</a> -- My song of the summer of '99, even if it was no one else's. Rocking/sentimental Butch Walker tries to get inside the heads of young women who are defined by their looks: "How do you like it when they/ Touch your face/ And turn the page/ And make you feel like a waste of space ... Tell me now just how you feel 'bout that."
24. Bob Seger --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmrkY-EZy74" target="_blank">"Against the Wind"</a> -- In the best song ever to be in heavy rotation at Walgreens, Seger sums up life, and how it often seems like we're walking into a stiff wind as we travel through it.
23. The Jayhawks --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRr310chhwY" target="_blank">"Blue"</a> -- The Jayhawks -- and this song in particular -- are part of the reason I say I'm from Minnesota (even though it would be more accurate to say I'm from North Dakota). Like many of the band's songs, "Blue" sounds like it should be sad, but it's so beautiful that it's actually kind of uplifting.
22. Belle and Sebastian --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwDLpFqyxz8" target="_blank">"I'm a Cuckoo"</a> -- B&S don't so much write songs as they create worlds using the art of the song. This is a case in point, and it gets bonus points for using the phrase "Thin Lizzie-o" for the sake of rhyming in the chorus.
21. She & Him --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rU7KDGEWJM" target="_blank">cover of NRBQ's "Ridin' in My Car"</a> -- This is such a good road trip song that I would actually plan a road trip solely so I could play this song on the road trip. As I've mentioned before, I could listen to Zooey Deschanel sing just about anything, but this is She & Him's best song because M. Ward's vocal contribution is such a nice contrast. "She" needs to share the mic with "Him" more often.
Top 300 songsMusicMon, 02 Aug 2010 01:17:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/8/2/My-300-favorite-songs-3021My 300 favorite songs: 40-31http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/8/1/My-300-favorite-songs-4031
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//camera-obscura.jpg">
40. Camera Obscura --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Who4OL08iR8&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken"</a> -- I was a few albums late to the party, but I loved Camera Obscura the moment I heard the church-organ-turned-pop-instrument intro on this entry. And I loved Tracyanne the first time I heard her voice a few seconds later.
39. Neko Case --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fhur6g8_BM" target="_blank">"I Wish I Was the Moon"</a> -- Wise-beyond-her-years lyrics combined with a voice that we should declare a national treasure (contrary to a common misconception, Neko is American, not Canadian).
38. The Killers --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIZdjT1472Y&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Human"</a> -- A song so good that it only has to sort of make sense ("Are we human/ Or are we dancer"). Almost certainly the best song ever to be in heavy rotation at American Eagle Outfitters.
37. Iron and Wine --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKGHkBComjM" target="_blank">cover of The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights"</a> -- Sometimes recordings featuring one guy in a soundproof booth with a simple tape recorder is all that's needed to achieve greatness.
36. Cat Power --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8R0eoGO7Gw" target="_blank">"Where is My Love"</a> -- Sometimes I decide to get my act together and be happy. But I just can't give up Cat Power tracks such as this one, which suggests that you'll never be more alive than when you are extremely depressed.
35. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXGNq2-S06I" target="_blank">"Land of Hope and Dreams"</a> -- "Big wheels roll through the fields where sunlight streams ..." This is the most romantic song ever about farming.
34. Nicole Atkins --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAVYOS_nYTQ&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Maybe Tonight"</a> -- With a great voice and fast-paced, catchy instrumentation behind her, Nicole and her band make romanticism rock.
33. Belle and Sebastian --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvS902DLEVI" target="_blank">"Funny Little Frog"</a> -- B&S makes incredibly cool songs about being incredibly uncool. Case in point.
32. The Wallflowers --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXDiGtgPL6E&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Sixth Avenue Heartache"</a> -- A catchy tune, sure. But I heard a slowed-down cover by a female vocalist on a TV show recently and it showcased how great the lyrics are, too (although I still don't understand that part where it sounds like the line is "just like green beans").
31. Smashing Pumpkins --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIwUxq0BMSE&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Today"</a> -- The Pumpkins deliver a great message about living in the moment but also being excited about the future ("Today is the greatest ... Can't wait for tomorrow"). Paradoxically, it's one of the most nostalgic-sounding songs I can think of.
Top 300 songsMusicSun, 01 Aug 2010 00:13:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/8/1/My-300-favorite-songs-4031My 300 favorite songs: 50-41http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/31/My-300-favorite-songs-5041
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//Bee-Gees-Alone.jpg">
50. The Bee Gees --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE8pPwcwGbI" target="_blank">"Alone"</a> -- I never cared for most the Bee Gees catalogue, but on this tune, the voices and instruments blend beautifully to create one of the most epic sad songs ever recorded.
49. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-YMRbh0OqM" target="_blank">"No Surrender"</a> -- "Maybe we could cut someplace of our own/ With these drums and these guitars." This is the anthem of every garage band musician that dreams of being a superstar.
48. Doug Spartz -- cover of Glen Campbell's "Galveston" -- I knew Doug from my time on the Brainerd lakes area music beat. He was one of those old guys who seemed to have a heart attack every year and had all kinds of problems in life --except when he got in front of a microphone. Then all those years of hard living served him well on every lyric. Doug's version of "Galveston" supplies a wistful depth that the too-polished original never had.
47. James Blunt --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oofSnsGkops&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"You're Beautiful"</a> -- This was my (and many other people's) song of the summer of '05. Wow, that summer must've been depressing as hell.
46. Hootie and the Blowfish --
<a href="http://www.spike.com/video/hootie-blowfish-sad/2786909" target="_blank">"Sad Caper"</a> -- In 1996, sad songs made me happy. So basically I listened to this downbeat masterpiece ("It's like sometimes you wanna see the rain/ But the sun gets in your eyes ...") every night before I went to bed. I have since started taking pills for my condition.
45. Collective Soul --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7TLTjqUyog&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"The World I Know"</a> -- This song finds the sometimes-hidden beauty of everyday life ... after a struggle through some sad violin chords. I like Collective Soul, but this song transcends the band that's playing it. CS just did it a favor by bringing it to life.
44. Belle and Sebastian --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B6UstLp6D4" target="_blank">"Asleep on a Sunbeam"</a> -- If I hadn't already heard this song and I just stumbled upon something called "Asleep on a Sunbeam" and saw it was by Belle and Sebastian, I'd assume it would be amazing. And I'd be right.
43. Camera Obscura --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bdwnMgwRTU" target="_blank">"Country Mile"</a> -- An unapologetic song about missing someone terribly that starts off good and ends up great. "I won't be seeing you for a long while/ Though I hope it's not as long as these country miles/ I feel lost/ I feel lost." Listening to this song in my car, I don't want to reach my destination anymore. I just want to pull over and cry.
42. Michael Jackson --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PivWY9wn5ps" target="_blank">"Man in the Mirror"</a> -- MJ bottles up all the pain and misery in the world and lets it out in this song, and then adds a dash of hope. The message resonates because Michael isn't blaming anyone specific -- if he wants things to change, he's going to start with himself.
41. The Flys --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM_OWaItNJM" target="_blank">"Got You Where I Want You"</a> -- The soundtrack to lusting after Katie Holmes circa 1998. It works because the Flys aren't pretending to be cool rock stars who are surrounded by girls; they pour their average-Joe frustrations into the lyrics and vocals ("Tell me your name/ I'm dying here ...").
Top 300 songsMusicSat, 31 Jul 2010 00:47:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/31/My-300-favorite-songs-5041My 300 favorite songs: 60-51http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/30/My-300-favorite-songs-6051
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//keane1.jpg">
60. Keane --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx4Hjq6KwO0&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Everybody's Changing"</a> -- Listening to this song, you feel like you could climb those piano notes straight up to heaven.
59. Buffalo Tom --
<a href="http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=buffalo+tom+scottish+windows&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=CDKPzQhtRTN7-FpKKNvGynLcBAAAAqgQFT9C4NhA&pbx=1&fp=f3e5fd81ca62ccc2" target="_blank">"Scottish Windows"</a> -- A beautiful and (appropriately) reflective piece from the deeper-voiced of the two Buffalo Tom singers.
58. The Verve --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx3m4e45bTo" target="_blank">"Bittersweet Symphony"</a> -- No false advertising here: This '90s classic is exactly what the title says it is.
57. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmDlcKXJa4Q" target="_blank">"Out in the Street"</a> -- The ultimate song about getting off work and cutting loose. It makes me want to load crates on a dock just to feel closer to this song.
56. Simon and Garfunkel --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJGSHMgbB0E" target="_blank">"Only Living Boy in New York"</a> -- Anytime "Ahhhhhhhhh, ahhhhh, ahhhhhh" is the best part, it means the song is either terrible or, in this case, amazing.
55. Butch Walker --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aTU5TjR39U" target="_blank">"Pretty Melody"</a> -- The first song in awhile to make such epic use of a bass drum beat. The first great tune of the '10s.
54. Hootie and the Blowfish --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRYpwnSOAtk&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"I Will Wait"</a> -- Hootie was at its most polished on record No. 3. This was also around the time that the public stopped caring and Darius started thinking country. Too bad.
53. Clem Snide --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE8YIM4Ep4E" target="_blank">"All Green"</a> -- A girl put this on a mix disc for me. Even if the other tracks were terrible, which they weren't, I would've given her credit for great taste based on this little gem alone.
52. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMuATQgiJJM" target="_blank">"Lucky Town"</a> -- I hate gambling, but I love this song about the false promises and hopes of gambling.
51. John Lennon --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GAHFrLAxzM&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Imagine"</a> -- It's clear that I'll have to go through my whole life imagining a world without countries or religion, but that doesn't make the dream -- or this song -- any less beautiful. Indeed, you're not the only one, John.
Top 300 songsMusicFri, 30 Jul 2010 00:01:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/30/My-300-favorite-songs-6051My 300 favorite songs: 70-61http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/29/My-300-favorite-songs-7061
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//hall-and-oates1.jpg">
70. Hall & Oates --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz2W3QfXnHc" target="_blank">"You Make My Dreams Come True"</a> -- I admit it: It's on my list totally because of how it was used in "(500) Days of Summer." Not that it was a bad song before that.
69. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmwJQ62Cs_o&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Better Days"</a> -- Bruce argues that it doesn't have to be all downhill after your "glory days." He's halfway to heaven and just a mile outta hell, and he feels like he's comin' home.
68. Butch Walker --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NB1BYFZfa0" target="_blank">"Ponce De Leon Ave."</a> -- This is one of the prettiest songs from a guy who struggles with sweet ballads although rocking out comes naturally to him. Also, the instrumentation is outstanding.
67. Neko Case --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLTtlm2xJ-g" target="_blank">cover of Aretha Franklin's "Running Out of Fools"</a> -- This is an example I cite whenever someone argues that classics should never be covered. Neko can make anything sound nice, but when it's a good song to begin with, the results are amazing.
66. Jewel --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PszcY7w0Tk" target="_blank">"2 Become 1"</a> -- I first caught this romantic song on "Joan of Arcadia," and I remember thinking how much better the song was than the show.
65. Tom Russell --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZkAoosVLkA" target="_blank">"Who's Gonna Build Your Wall"</a> -- One of the best songwriters of all time gives a compelling perspective on illegal immigration. Great lyric: "We got fundamentalist Muslims/ We got fundamentalist Jews/ We got fundamentalist Christians/ They'll blow the whole thing up for you."
64. Michael Jackson --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFvENQBc-F8&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Smooth Criminal"</a> -- "Annie are you OK/ So Annie are you OK/ Are you OK Annie." Doesn't look like much on paper, but dang is it catchy.
63. The Jayhawks --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-3yswHFUNc" target="_blank">"Save It For a Rainy Day"</a> -- Gary and the boys have a sound that would be perfect for sad songs, but they use their powers for good on this uplifting tune.
62. Gwen Stefani --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGwZ7MNtBFU&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Cool"</a> -- Look up "wistful" in an online dictionary and it links you to this contemporary classic about a relationship that created fond memories but didn't quite work out.
61. Collective Soul --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okUrGG66KpQ" target="_blank">"Run"</a> -- The most beautiful song ever written about being a bored teenager looking toward the future. Better than "Varsity Blues" deserved, and I kinda liked "Varsity Blues."
Top 300 songsMusicThu, 29 Jul 2010 00:27:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/29/My-300-favorite-songs-7061My 300 favorite songs: 80-71http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/28/My-300-favorite-songs-8071
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//beach-boys.jpg">
80. The Beach Boys --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_5_AD9wXuY" target="_blank">"Kokomo"</a> -- This was such a ubiquitous hit in 1988 that fourth-grade classmates of mine knew all the words. Overplayed or not, based on a real place or not, it remains a transporting song.
79. davis? -- "Back in June" -- davis? is the only band where I knew every member personally and yet I awaited their next single as if they were an MTV band. It was awesome when they unveiled this beautiful guitar showcase at an early Aughts Playmakers show in Fargo, N.D.
78. The Hollies --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qQaqVrlli0" target="_blank">cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Sandy (4th of July Asbury Park)"</a> -- In my head, I think of carnival nightscapes as being gorgeous and wistful, and it's almost entirely because of this cover.
77. The New Pornographers --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDUHJNVjpS0" target="_blank">"Sing Me Spanish Techno"</a> -- Just a really catchy, organic beat with nonsensical but kinda brilliant lyrics. It's not techno, yet I could indeed find myself listening too long to this song.
76. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_caz4qMxTH4" target="_blank">"Bobby Jean"</a> -- The song's spirit can be summed up in this lyric: "I'm just callin' one last time/ Not to change your mind/ But just to say I miss you baby/ Good luck, goodbye, Bobby Jean."
75. Outkast --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWgvGjAhvIw&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Hey Ya!"</a> -- The song that taught the world to "shake it like a Polaroid picture" in the midst of the digital age.
74. Badly Drawn Boy --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY-oQEy1KFU" target="_blank">"Silent Sigh"</a> -- Song Title and Song Feeling are completely in sync on this delicate piece where neither the piano nor vocal takes over yet both get under your skin somehow.
73. James Blunt --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWeqeQkjLto" target="_blank">"1973"</a> -- It evokes nostalgia for 1973 (or some vague time in the past) even though it's probably better than most of the songs that came out in 1973 (or some vague time in the past).
72. The Killers --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff0oWESdmH0&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"When You Were Young"</a> -- I once liked a religious girl who started dating a religious guy who acted like a gentleman in a completely obvious way that made me disgusted with both of them. Also, he didn't look a thing like Jesus. So obviously, this song -- which came out when I knew them -- makes me think Brandon Flowers is a prescient genius.
71. Semisonic --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhS3YP04Fjk&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Singing in My Sleep"</a> -- In the recesses of my mind, I imagine that pleasant, transporting beats like the opening riff of this tune is what fills dance clubs. In reality, that's not the case, but it doesn't matter because I don't go clubbing too often anyway.
Top 300 songsMusicWed, 28 Jul 2010 00:14:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/28/My-300-favorite-songs-8071My 300 favorite songs: 90-81http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/26/My-300-favorite-songs-9081
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//sheryl-crow.jpg">
90. Sheryl Crow --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3Nnrj6i9Vk" target="_blank">"I Shall Believe"</a> -- I think this song was played during romantic moments on every WB show in the late-'90s. But to me, it's Max and Liz's song. I turn off other shows if this song pops up in reference to a different couple.
89. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5OyvfiNiVo" target="_blank">"Hungry Heart"</a> -- Certainly the most beautiful song ever about a family man going out for a gallon of milk and never coming back.
88. Butch Walker --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_KafJdo0ic" target="_blank">"Hot Girls in Good Moods"</a> -- Again, Butch sings about the things that matter in life. It goes from good to great because of how he says "B-b-b-b-baby" and "G-g-g-g-give" and "C-c-c-c-can."
87. Buffalo Tom --
<a href="http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=buffalo+tom+under+milkwood&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=Cw0_E785LTNSGOJHuzASZtMWiCgAAAKoEBU_QTx7N&pbx=1&fp=cb097f81f8f86bb9" target="_blank">"Under Milkwood"</a> -- The ideal song to listen to on a rainy, lonely night.
86. Oasis --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8OipmKFDeM" target="_blank">"Don't Look Back in Anger"</a> -- It's hard to believe this song came out in the late-'90s. It seems like it should've been written at the very beginning of pop music.
85. The Shins --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=292EP5YLU0Q" target="_blank">"Know Your Onion!"</a> -- I can't understand a word of this song (except "Locked out of my favorite records/ Lying in wait at the Birmingham mall"), but I still think it's pretty.
84. Jewel --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfsS3pIDBfw" target="_blank">"Hands"</a> -- Miss Kilcher boils it all down to six beautiful words: "In the end, only kindness matters."
83. Darius Rucker --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga005q-6WK4&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"History in the Making"</a> -- I'd rather listen to Hootie songs, but I can't deny that catchy country licks come naturally to Darius.
82. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiCxqhu9cio&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Waitin' on a Sunny Day"</a> -- Aren't we all, Bruce. Aren't we all.
81. Baltimora --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r0n9Dv6XnY" target="_blank">"Tarzan Boy"</a> -- The only good part of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III" is that they randomly included this great '80s dance-pop cut from the Italian one-hit wonders on the soundtrack.
Top 300 songsMusicMon, 26 Jul 2010 01:06:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/26/My-300-favorite-songs-9081My 300 favorite songs: 100-91http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/25/My-300-favorite-songs-10091
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//corrs1.jpg">
100. The Corrs --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eBkXXSbwlE" target="_blank">"Breathless"</a> -- A hook you can't get out of your head + Three-part Irish sister harmonies = Pure pop bliss.
99. Rehab --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdEvL6jxUYA" target="_blank">"Bartender Song"</a> -- A parody of a country song that became a real hit. Ironically. But really.
98. Adele --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08DjMT-qR9g&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Chasing Pavements"</a> -- This is one of those songs that sounds so perfect that you rush out to buy the album, thinking you'll get a whole album that sounds like that. You won't. But the song's still good.
97. Rilo Kiley --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MjcLdQJB_c" target="_blank">"It's a Hit"</a> -- Political ranting has rarely sounded so pretty.
96. Smashing Pumpkins --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1N_qX_r4Iw" target="_blank">"Cherub Rock"</a> -- The guitars layer on top of each other in such irresistible fashion that when the vocals kick in, you barely care. You just want to listen to the band all day.
95. Snow Patrol --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT62Gwv70kM&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Chocolate"</a> -- This hopeful, mini-epic of a pop tune reminds me of the 2000s. And it reminds me that it wasn't a bad decade for music after all.
94. Butch Walker --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJjFEsoPJ0Q" target="_blank">"Suburbia"</a> -- Modern suburban life proves to be fertile ground for a power-pop song when Butch is holding the pen.
93. Maroon 5 --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlMEGBsw6j8&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Won't Go Home Without You"</a> -- When I listen to this tune, I actively root for the singer as if he's the protagonist in a movie. I hope he indeed gets the girl.
92. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrpXArn3hII&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"I'm on Fire"</a> -- A minimalist, atmospheric classic with memorable lines like "a six-inch valley through the middle of my soul."
91. The Temper Trap --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxKjOOR9sPU&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Sweet Disposition"</a> -- Another song that creates such a beautiful soundscape that you rush out and buy the album, only to be let down by the rest of the tracks. But this song's still good.
Top 300 songsMusicSun, 25 Jul 2010 00:22:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/25/My-300-favorite-songs-10091My 300 favorite songs: 110-101http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/24/My-300-favorite-songs-110101
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//joey-ramone1.jpg">
After a slight delay for technical difficulties with my Internet connection, let us resume the countdown ...
110. Joey Ramone --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IoO5nkxT_4" target="_blank">cover of "What a Wonderful World"</a> -- A great-sounding cover of a classic song that has itself become a classic.
109. The Wallflowers --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeoIblXRnls" target="_blank">"I've Been Delivered"</a> -- A nice lyrical showcase from Jakob Dylan with a transporting backbeat.
108. Dredg --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3BeR-t_JFI" target="_blank">"Catch without Arms"</a> -- It uses a weird, but still effective, metaphor for the chorus, and Gavin Hayes has a cool rock voice. I like how he takes a jab at clichés: "Sing about love/ Sing about lust/ So they will care."
107. Heather Nova --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riGlhkoZzOU" target="_blank">"It's Only Love"</a> -- Endless heartbreak compressed into a pop song.
106. Everclear --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJfb2MBR0DI" target="_blank">cover of Thin Lizzy's "The Boys are Back in Town</a> --Thin Lizzy recorded some catchy songs that beg to be taken to another level. Everclear gets the job done here.
105. Soul Asylum --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLQ2TIul8pI&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"Misery"</a> -- You know Dave Pirner is tapped into the feeling of misery when he imagines building a factory to create it.
104. Ben Folds --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HQTOoJrTm8" target="_blank">"Annie Waits"</a> -- Annie waits, but not for the narrator. Poor guy. At least Ben got an epic song out of the deal.
103. Spymob --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyJ4l4YXbr4" target="_blank">"Stand Up and Win"</a> -- I love three-minute pop songs that don't bother to take a breather.
102. Black Eyed Peas --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSD4vsh1zDA&feature=avmsc2" target="_blank">"I Gotta Feeling"</a> -- When you hear this in an arena, you just know your team's gonna win (even though somebody has to lose). It sounds like the Peas wrote it as a motivational song before they hit the stage.
101. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KngiJUNdsu0" target="_blank">"Thunder Road"</a> -- It all builds up to that classic rock moment where Bruce bellows "We're pullin' outta here to win!"
Top 300 songsMusicSat, 24 Jul 2010 11:10:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/24/My-300-favorite-songs-110101My 300 favorite songs: 120-111http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/21/My-300-favorite-songs-120111
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//almostfamous.jpg">
120. Elton John --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qn3tel9FWU" target="_blank">"Tiny Dancer"</a> -- I won't lie: It's on my list because of the "Almost Famous" scene.
119. No Doubt --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZktNItwexo" target="_blank">"Spiderwebs"</a> -- Remember when people tried to categorize No Doubt as ska? Whatever; this is just a catchy pop tune.
118. Butch Walker --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAQL6VohCfo" target="_blank">"Trash Day"</a> -- Whether it's trash day in Beverly Hills; Nashville, Tennessee; or Atlanta, G-A, the same absurdities go on everywhere, as Butch illustrates.
117. The Killers --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FufL80hJsP8" target="_blank">"Bones"</a> -- Songs about longing always go well with a high-note piano intro and a steady dose of the horn section, as this entry shows.
116. Campfire Girls --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yK2wCN7hgg" target="_blank">"Someday"</a> -- Just another rock song that shows words pack more punch with a catchy guitar riff behind them.
115. Soul Asylum --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CPo2v9ujug" target="_blank">"Can't Even Tell"</a> -- The Twin Cities band's most unapologetically catchy lick.
114. Third Eye Blind --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXRLEyIoJZA" target="_blank">"Motorcycle Drive By"</a> -- Just one of those rock-singer-goes-folkie entries you'll tend to find tucked at the back of an album ... until Stephan belts out "I've never been so alone/ And I've never been so alive!" and it kicks into gear.
113. Cat Power --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJfQXS1hKDo" target="_blank">"The Greatest"</a> -- Depressed and need something to listen to in a pitch-dark room? Look no further.
112. Vicious Aloysius -- "Viceroy" -- A multi-layered, violin-infused pop-rock song from a Twin Cities band that played in Brainerd a lot a few years back.
111. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=129kuDCQtHs" target="_blank">"Dancing in the Dark"</a> -- A song that makes me think the synthesizer is underrated.
Top 300 songsMusicWed, 21 Jul 2010 14:43:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/21/My-300-favorite-songs-120111My 300 favorite songs: 130-121http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/20/My-300-favorite-songs-130121
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//guided-by-voices1.jpg">
130. Guided by Voices --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQa1_PAPbks" target="_blank">"Glad Girls"</a> -- It seems like Robert Pollard wrote this song in about 15 seconds, but it's still awesome.
129. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Smddcs5n0H0" target="_blank">"Youngstown"</a> -- This song (made more powerful when he plays it with the band) manages to be anti-industrial but pro-industrial-worker at the same time.
128. She & Him --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4gKLSoH1LQ" target="_blank">"Thieves"</a> -- It sounds kind of like the cotton theme song. To be honest, though, Zooey singing the cotton theme song almost made my top 300, too.
127. Everclear --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZEnI9PTPTs" target="_blank">"Sunflowers"</a> -- Relentless, irresistible pop-rock from Portland's finest.
126. Rick Springfield --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRDqU3ifmrc" target="_blank">"The Invisible Girl"</a> -- Unnoticed by most of the industry, Rick put out a fine power pop disc in 2004; this is my favorite track.
125. Mandy Moore --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkKOybWbUNM" target="_blank">"In My Pocket"</a> -- I love how much is going on instrumentally in what you'd think would be a bubblegum pop song.
124. Journey --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atxUuldUcfI" target="_blank">"Any Way You Want It"</a> -- Rarely has a guitar riff and a voice blended together so magically.
123. Doves --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZgBKVBduQg" target="_blank">"There Goes the Fear"</a> -- Can a pop song make your fear go away? Possibly, just possibly.
122. Paolo Nutini --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3xYXGMRRYk" target="_blank">"Candy"</a> -- Get this man some candy, stat!
121. Foo Fighters --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA-bP5fZwR0" target="_blank">"D.O.A."</a> -- No one's getting out of here alive, so we might as well listen to awesome rock songs like this while we're here.
Top 300 songsMusicTue, 20 Jul 2010 18:19:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/20/My-300-favorite-songs-130121My 300 favorite songs: 140-131http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/19/My-300-favorite-songs-140131
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//hurricane.jpg">
140. Bob Dylan --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH-pFE_ncPU" target="_blank">"Hurricane"</a> -- A good song by a good man doing his part to help out another good man. Songs like this just don't come along too often.
139. Suzy Bogguss --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce9kGLhAee0" target="_blank">cover of Tom Russell and Nanci Griffith's "Outbound Plane"</a> -- A little extra production isn't always a bad thing. Here, it helps a strong folk song soar to the next level.
138. Traveling Wilburys --
<a href="http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=traveling+wilburys+not+alone+anymore&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&gs_upl=3281%2C153%2C14%2C1%2C50%2C53%2C14&fp=57d9c86769d1bf04" target="_blank">"Not Alone Anymore"</a> -- A wonderful Roy Orbison track from his all-too-brief time with the Wilburys.
137. Weird Al Yankovic --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEcjgJSqSRU" target="_blank">"The Saga Begins"</a> -- Parodies work best when the comic likes the source material, and there are enough details here to make me suspect that Weird Al kinda likes "The Phantom Menace" (or at least "Star Wars").
136. Marvelous 3 --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMknKgPabHY&feature=related" target="_blank">"Every Monday"</a> -- Butch Walker is one of the few artists who can write lyrics that break your heart and make you laugh at the same time. "I was f***** up by 5/ Talkin' nothin' but jive/ Told the bartender he'd never take me alive/ All of this because my favorite show got canceled last night on TV."
135. The Moffatts --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9zMUiGPgWo" target="_blank">"Misery"</a> -- For a song about being let down, it has a heckuva buildup to the chorus.
134. Matchbox 20 --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X5Dr-uFVGw" target="_blank">"Back 2 Good"</a> -- MB20 encapsulates the feeling of being sad in a supposedly happy place, like at a party with friends: "'Cause everyone here/ Knows everyone here is thinkin' 'bout somebody else."
133. Ray LaMontagne --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRotMzTuKzo&feature=fvst" target="_blank">"Hold You in My Arms"</a> -- Ray's music seems out of place in the 21st century. In a good way.
132. Garbage --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdodc1Eu1nA" target="_blank">"I'm Only Happy When it Rains"</a> -- One of my most depressed high school friends loved this song. Depressed people tend to have good taste in music.
131. P.J. Olsson --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4NQaAtXQNc" target="_blank">"Ready for a Fall"</a> -- It's obvious that P.J. has known both love and the crushing fall that comes afterward.
Top 300 songsMusicMon, 19 Jul 2010 03:28:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/19/My-300-favorite-songs-140131My 300 favorite songs: 150-141http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/18/My-300-favorite-songs-150141
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//ben-folds.jpg">
150. Ben Folds -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqPwR39VMh0" target="_blank">"Still Fighting It"</a> -- Only Ben Folds could make "The roast beef combo's only $9.95" sound so poignant. But that's just the beginning, as the song turns into an ageless epic about how it sucks to grow up.
149. The Darkness --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRYNYb30nxU" target="_blank">"I Believe in a Thing Called Love"</a> -- For one hair-metal-on-steroids throwback song, we believed in a band called The Darkness.
148. Spacehog -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9AWGc0d8ik" target="_blank">"In the Meantime"</a> -- Sometimes "Ooooh-ooooh-ooooh-ooooh-ooooh" is all the lyric you need.
147. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vQpW9XRiyM" target="_blank">"Glory Days"</a> -- Wistful, melancholy lyrics, but the music is so upbeat that it kind of makes me smile anyway (wistfully, though).
146. 'Til Tuesday --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j3gxPjh5YY" target="_blank">"(Believed You Were) Lucky"</a> -- Sure, Aimee Mann's voice sounds great on her folkier stuff, but it goes to another level with her backing band, which sounds so '80s, but not in a bad way.
145. The Verve Pipe --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVNAp1C8LIw" target="_blank">"The Freshmen"</a> -- This song about immature-but-innocent kids sounded epically poignant to my ear in 1996. Still does.
144. Cat Power --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78AIA8hiTvQ" target="_blank">"Islands"</a> -- A pretty little tune about giving up on love: "I want to rule the islands/ And I want to rule the sea/ But if you're not coming back/ I will sleep eternally."
143. Our Lady Peace --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1Z89zW-8sY" target="_blank">"Innocent"</a> -- Sometimes it's good to drop the blame game and remember that none of us human beings really know what we're doing. OLP captures that sentiment through a few nice anecdotes and the simple chorus.
142. The Shins --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q322n-f3FlU" target="_blank">"New Slang"</a> -- I don't know what it's about, but it sounds pretty. Huge bonus points: It was the song on the headphones during the meet-cute between Sam and Large in "Garden State."
141. Keane -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oextk-If8HQ" target="_blank">"Somewhere Only We Know"</a> -- Again, Keane rocks the piano so effectively that you'll wonder why other bands use guitars.
Top 300 songsMusicSun, 18 Jul 2010 14:24:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/18/My-300-favorite-songs-150141My 300 favorite songs: 160-151http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/17/My-300-favorite-songs-160151
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//avril-lavigne2.jpg">
160. Avril Lavigne --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flpcm2Z4LAU" target="_blank">"Anything But Ordinary"</a> -- A rare pop song that -- rather than reflecting on drama -- asks for more drama: "Somebody rip my heart out/ And leave me here to bleed ... I'd rather be anything but ordinary please."
159. The Old 97s --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEwFik6ObJs" target="_blank">"Question"</a> -- I can't guarantee that playing this song will get her to say yes. But I can guarantee that it's ridiculously pretty (so much so that Rhett Miller recorded it on two albums).
158. Vanilla Ice -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFLGRidfFo4" target="_blank">"Ninja Rap"</a> -- It's the only rap song to which I know every word (which I guess tells you something about my interest in the genre).
157. Guided by Voices --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7KiLRCxt58" target="_blank">"Chasing Heather Crazy"</a> -- At first I thought Robert Pollard was "chasing after Daisy." Regardless, it's one of GBV's prettiest songs.
156. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1ASNugJVG4" target="_blank">"My Love Will Not Let You Down"</a> -- One of the best Boss songs when played live.
155. The Spinto Band --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpiI-P152pc" target="_blank">"Oh Mandy"</a> -- I wish I knew a girl named Mandy so this song could be about her. Cutest random lyric: "Show me a rerun on the W/ Show me a rerun on the WB."
154. She & Him -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ3cTwI9bIw" target="_blank">"In the Sun"</a> -- Zooey Deschanel could read a phone book and I'd find it beautiful, but it's nice when the song itself is pretty too.
153. Everclear --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsZoeShxwSU" target="_blank">"Normal Like You"</a> -- An anthem for people who struggle to be normal like everyone else.
152. Alanis Morissette --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YViMZHw-ZBA" target="_blank">"Wake Up"</a> -- From the ubiquitous "Jagged Little Pill" album, this was the only track that really connected with me. Memorable lyric: "'Cause it's easy not to/ So much easier not to/ And what goes around never comes around to you."
151. Shakira --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjRRQdnOR-A" target="_blank">"Don't Bother"</a> -- Shakira is more of a music video dancer than a singer, but this song sounds good even without the visuals.
Top 300 songsMusicSat, 17 Jul 2010 13:12:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/17/My-300-favorite-songs-160151My 300 favorite songs: 180-171http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/15/My-300-favorite-songs-180171
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//beatles.jpg">
180. The Beatles -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6tV11acSRk" target="_blank">"Here Comes the Sun"</a> -- This right here is the reason George is my favorite Beatle.
179. Beyonce featuring Jay-Z -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViwtNLUqkMY" target="_blank">"Crazy in Love"</a> -- Normally I'm not a fan of sampling. The exception is when you take an old riff and put it to better use, like with Beyonce's catchiest song.
178. Better Than Ezra -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji0pyRmSnTY" target="_blank">"Good"</a> -- Wah-ah, this song is good. Awah-awah-ah-wahah, yeah it's good.
177. Aerosmith -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo_0UXRY_rY" target="_blank">"I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing"</a> -- The perfect over-the-top ballad for an awesomely over-the-top movie.
176. matchbox twenty -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtcIjoUXe6s" target="_blank">"All I Need"</a> -- Yeah, MB20 started to get overproduced on their later albums, but on this track, the songwriting overpowers the production. (And, frankly, the riff ain't too shabby, either.)
175. Hilary Duff -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0YH-s4jmCU" target="_blank">"Wake Up"</a> -- It's Saturday night, and anything seems possible in this little pop gem.
174. Belle and Sebastian -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsLg1ojItnk" target="_blank">"White Collar Boy"</a> -- Some songs are great because they mirror the listener's emotion. This one is great because it creates the feeling of longing after a girl, regardless of what you were thinking about when it started playing. Best lyric: "She said 'You ain't ugly, you can kiss me if you like'/ Go ahead and kiss her, you don't know what you're missing."
173. Dido -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-fWDrZSiZs" target="_blank">"White Flag"</a> -- Traditional social standards say Dido's behavior in this narrative is pathetic, but I find it rather admirable that she opts to go down with the ship of this relationship. After all, she's in love, and always will be.
172. Bruce Springsteen -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZarmRLa2p9Q" target="_blank">"I'm Goin' Down"</a> -- Not getting the girl never before sounded so sweet. Everyone can relate to lyrics like "I'm sick and tired of ya setting me up/ Just ta knocka knocka knocka me down."
171. Rihanna featuring Jay-Z -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvBfHwUxHIk" target="_blank">"Umbrella"</a> -- No one tells Rihanna that "umbrella" only has three syllables. No one. When you think outside the grammatical box, an irresistible pop hook can result.
Top 300 songsMusicThu, 15 Jul 2010 01:34:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/15/My-300-favorite-songs-180171My 300 favorite songs: 190-181http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/14/My-300-favorite-songs-190181
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//jayhawks1.jpg">
190. The Jayhawks -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azRdXgCMw-M
" target="_blank">"Angelyne"</a> -- Has self-pity ever before sounded so gorgeous? I think not.
189. Brenda Weiler --
<a href="http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=brenda+weiler+california&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=C4az92Ew9TIzsBaX4MbrIia4KAAAAqgQFT9Bv0hc&gs_upl=3951%2C112%2C18%2C7%2C55%2C75%2C18&fp=36ec6be010d257f" target="_blank">"California"</a> -- My favorite song from the most talented musician from my graduating class (Fargo South High School, 1996).
188. Live -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB1zPYKQCCY" target="_blank">"Run to the Water"</a> -- This powerful epic proves that it's possible to build up to a big finale without sacrificing the overall rockingness of the song.
187. Soul Asylum -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNWR3OenaPk" target="_blank">"Without a Trace"</a> -- The classic "Eat my dust" song to blast in your vehicle as you depart a place you'd rather not return to anytime soon.
186. Angie Stevens --
<a href="http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=angie+stevens+this+soul+these+hands&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&gs_upl=4480%2C64%2C21%2C13%2C414%2C1056%2C8%2C1%2C1%2C1%2C1%2C1%2C4%2C3&fp=dd2d1939af06a5a" target="_blank">"This Soul, These Hands"</a> -- My favorite song from the best musician to come out of Brainerd, Minn., in the early 21st century. I'm glad to see she's finding lots of new fans in Denver.
185. Lifehouse -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYqDJ_EEhGY" target="_blank">"Hanging by a Moment"</a> -- Considering how clichéd this band has become, it's interesting to recall how cool and original this song sounded when it came out.
184. Bruce Springsteen --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idnJnjV_8rg" target="_blank">"Brilliant Disguise"</a> -- Bruce makes "disguise" into a five-syllable word; one of many reasons I dig this entry from his underappreciated "I don't need the E-Street Band" phase.
183. davis? -- "The Afterthought" -- I thought this seven-minute epic from my all-time favorite Fargo, N.D., band sounded awesome, so I asked lead singer Ike Morsch what the song meant. He said he didn't want to talk about it because he had become embarrassed by the song since he wrote it. That's when I knew these guys were rock stars in the making. (Sadly, they have since fallen off the face of the Earth, and the Internet; hence no linkage).
182. Talk Show -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JeEWulLsDQ" target="_blank">"Hello Hello"</a> -- I saw Talk Show open for the Foo Fighters in 1997 and they left the stage angrily when some morons in the crowd started chanting "STP" (Talk Show spun off from Stone Temple Pilots). At least they played this song before that happened.
181. The Police -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOGaugKpzs" target="_blank">"Every Breath You Take"</a> -- The most beautiful song ever written from the point of view of a stalker.
Top 300 songsMusicWed, 14 Jul 2010 01:07:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/14/My-300-favorite-songs-190181My 300 favorite songs: 200-191http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/13/My-300-favorite-songs-200191
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//tom-petty1.jpg">
200. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU1bZmMEaOs" target="_blank">"Walls"</a> -- Whether played in the "happy" or "sad" tempo, this is a great Petty tune.
199. Epic Hero -- <a href="http://new.music.yahoo.com/epic-hero/tracks/one-fine-day--2089238
" target="_blank">"One Fine Day"</a> -- The best track by the best band to come out of the Twin Cities that no one has heard of. (They're also really nice guys who deserve tons of music success.) This tune was part of an album produced by Dan Wilson soon after he called it quits with Semisonic.
198. Fuel -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGHnYD2y-44
" target="_blank">"Bad Day"</a> -- Brett Scallions' sheer vocal passion pushes this downer rocker from anemic to anthemic.
197. Sophie B. Hawkins -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do5-9C6LaH4
" target="_blank">"As I Lay Me Down"</a> -- Even though the narrator's travails probably won't have a happy ending, the soundscape alone is enough to drag a listener out of a funk.
196. Buffalo Tom -- <a href="http://www.we7.com/#/song/Buffalo-Tom/Anything-That-Way
" target="_blank">"Anything That Way"</a> -- It makes me think of a girl I used to like who loved this song and introduced me to the music of Buffalo Tom. I don't know if that makes me happy or sad, but I knew the song had to be somewhere in my top 300.
195. Hootie and the Blowfish -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln6WQqRDrCo
" target="_blank">"Only Wanna Be With You"</a> -- The first great song from a band so uncool that they were actually kinda cool. I always liked 'em, and now that their mega-popularity is long past, the mass disapproval has passed too, and we can just appreciate Hootie's songs because they sound nice.
194. Hilary and Haylie Duff -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGRPCruvmaE
" target="_blank">cover of the Go-Go's "Our Lips are Sealed"</a> -- The already energetic Go-Go's classic gets cranked up another notch by the Duff sisters.
193. The Perishers -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hk7x3gc1_Q
" target="_blank">"Sway"</a> -- A song that makes you feel unashamed about being a dreamer.
192. Camera Obscura -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRoRKmMEbl8
" target="_blank">"Suspended from Class"</a> -- If you do get suspended from class, pop in this transcendent tune and you probably won't want to go back to school anyway.
191. The Wallflowers -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNfAnGpdMdc" target="_blank">"How Good It Can Get"</a> -- Sometimes a song is decent until it gets to a certain lyric and then it achieves greatness. On this one, it's when Jakob sings "But I wish you'd stay/ And just let me in/ 'Cause everything can change/ But you gotta be ready 'cause you won't know when."
Top 300 songsMusicTue, 13 Jul 2010 01:20:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/13/My-300-favorite-songs-200191My 300 favorite songs: 210-201http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/12/My-300-favorite-songs-210201
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//foo-fighters1.jpg">
210. Foo Fighters -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=308KpFZ4cT8" target="_blank">"Long Road to Ruin"</a> -- The Foo Fighters have a knack for writing songs that you feel should've been written already. It's like they fill in the obvious gaps of rock history.
209. Michael Jackson -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEEMi2j6lYE" target="_blank">"Stranger in Moscow"</a> -- It takes a while to get going, but it's worth the wait. In the subgenre of songs where the singer just repeats "How does it feel?" over and over, this is my favorite.
208. Bruce Springsteen -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxuThNgl3YA" target="_blank">"Born to Run"</a> -- This song should've been overplayed right out of my top 300. But it's just too much of a masterpiece to leave it off, even if I don't need to hear it ever again.
207. Velvet Chain -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tGxtk9qGFk" target="_blank">"Strong"</a> -- This song, best known for being on the "Buffy" soundtrack, transports me to an imaginary small-town club that exclusively plays good music by up-and-coming bands and draws large, passionate music-loving crowds every night. Like I said, it's imaginary.
206. Tabitha's Secret -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XrFw7UyB0c&feature=related" target="_blank">"Forever December"</a> -- An all-over-the-place, atmospheric epic from before Rob Thomas started over-enunciating his words with Matchbox 20/matchbox twenty/his solo work.
205. Janis Ian -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypn9oKaO-3E&feature=related" target="_blank">"At Seventeen"</a> -- It captures that moment when a young, happy person realizes how cruel the world is. It's a necessary lesson, but that doesn't make it any less melancholy.
204. Carole King -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pz-UtWSSUc" target="_blank">"Where You Lead"</a> -- This song was made for "Gilmore Girls," one of my all-time favorite shows. I know it came out 30 years before "Gilmore Girls," but it was still made for it, if you know what I mean.
203. Britney Spears -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vvBAONkYwI" target="_blank">"Lucky"</a> -- Think it'd be awesome to be a celebrity? Then consider the story of (the entirely fictional) Lucky, who wonders "If there's nothing missing in my life/ Then why do these tears come at night?"
202. Vanessa Carlton -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM3fEJyPrrg" target="_blank">"White Houses"</a> -- A great coming-of-age story song, delivered by the ideal-sounding voice for the story.
201. Stiff Dylans -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmqi21YMJP4" target="_blank">"Ultraviolet"</a> -- A whiny-sounding modern punk song that I would dismiss except for the fact that it's ridiculously awesome.
Top 300 songsMusicMon, 12 Jul 2010 02:00:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/12/My-300-favorite-songs-210201My 300 favorite songs: 220-211http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/11/My-favorite-songs-220211
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//Jewel-Intuition1.jpg">
220. Jewel -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ilh1ewceco
" target="_blank">"Intuition"</a> -- I admit it; I think this song is catchy. I also like how Jewel was doing a parody of sell-outs and got wrongly criticized by people who didn't understand that it was a parody, but then later sold out by selling this song to a ladies' razor commercial.
219. Michelle Branch -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcceAMwkILs
" target="_blank">"Sweet Misery"</a> -- Heartbreak has rarely sounded so pretty.
218. Tonic -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVv5ie-2YCc
" target="_blank">"Mean to Me"</a> -- Whiny or awesome? I'll go with the latter.
217. Camera Obscura -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO5ngUPK-T4" target="_blank">"My Maudlin Career"</a> -- Most bands get self-referential on their second album; CO waited till their fourth. And in typical Tracyanne fashion, even though the lyrics are maudlin, the song is flat-out beautiful.
216. Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLEhh_XpJ-0
" target="_blank">"Say Say Say"</a> -- Sorry, "The Girl is Mine" fans. This catchy number gets my vote as the superior Mac-and-Jack collaboration.
215. The Wallflowers -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g2VdB4YpzQ
" target="_blank">cover of David Bowie's "Heroes"</a> -- It gets the nod over the original due to a more muscular bass line and the creative use of Godzilla roars among the backing instrumentation.
214. Modest Mouse -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTAud5O7Qqk
" target="_blank">"Float On"</a> -- Most songs on this list are about things going wrong, but this song nicely captures that feeling when things are going OK.
213. Marvelous 3 -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPmWIMCGCPo
" target="_blank">"Grant Park"</a> -- Part of Butch Walker's continuing effort to rewrite '80s rock history as being even cooler than we remember.
212. Bruce Springsteen -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iywFZqtPlhU
" target="_blank">"Long Walk Home"</a> -- You can find new meanings on each listen. My favorite line is the Lennon-esque "No flag flying over the courthouse/ No certain things are set in stone."
211. Keane -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u86VdOc3asA
" target="_blank">"This is the Last Time"</a> -- "This is the last time you fall on me for anything you like/ You one last line/ You fall on me for anything you like/ And yes, make everything all right/ You fall on me for anything you like/ And I know I don't mind." It doesn't make literal sense, but I get what Tom Chaplin is saying. And I know I'm probably hearing the lyrics wrong, but whatever.
Top 300 songsMusicSun, 11 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/11/My-favorite-songs-220211My 300 favorite songs: 230-221http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/10/My-300-favorite-songs-230221
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//hootie-tuckers1.jpg">
230. Hootie and the Blowfish -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z71GLMg90kI" target="_blank">"Tucker's Town"</a> -- The first time I heard the transcendent opening chords, I wanted to go to Tucker's Town, wherever that might be.
229. Doves -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbE1-ZPz-Cg
" target="_blank">"Pounding"</a> -- As the name suggests, it has a pounding beat, but that's just the starting point for a band that knows how to layer sounds in the catchiest possible way.
228. Katy Perry -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLt5n0auPwM
" target="_blank">"I Kissed a Girl"</a> -- A pseudo-controversial piece of yummy bubblegum.
227. Collective Soul -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RogqLbpHQyg
" target="_blank">"Goodnight Good Guy"</a> -- With its quick-hitting chorus ("Who's gonna lift you up ..."), this was/is my favorite track off the band's hook-laden debut, even if I now realize it might have religious undertones.
226. Ivy -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL3ZbNRH1Wc
" target="_blank">"Edge of the Ocean"</a> -- What would a song about the edge of the ocean sound like? Exactly as pretty as this.
225. The Polyphonic Spree -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--rWZTfWRkE" target="_blank">"Hold Me Now"</a> -- If you aren't perked up a bit by this song, you're pretty down.
224. Third Eye Blind -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kiHBFwGsUE
" target="_blank">"Never Let You Go"</a> -- 3eb tailed off quite a bit after their first album, but at least they still had this stadium gem up their sleeves.
223. Dan Wilson and Bic Runga -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8RU2WNK4eU
" target="_blank">"Good Morning Baby"</a> -- Everyone's thought "I hope I'm gonna make it through another day" at some point, and this is a nice companion piece for that feeling.
222. The Thorns -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxszfw-Sm-o
" target="_blank">"I Can't Remember"</a> -- This supergroup could've been the next Traveling Wilburys, but wasn't. They gave us one great tune, though.
221. The Lonely Island -- "J*** in My Pants" -- "Saturday Night Live's" Andy Samberg and his band deliver the funniest song you'll find on YouTube. To protect the easily offended, I won't link to it. But if you're not offended, seek out the fan-made nerd remix also.
Top 300 songsMusicSat, 10 Jul 2010 00:05:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/10/My-300-favorite-songs-230221My 300 favorite songs: 240-231http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/9/My-300-favorite-songs-240231
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//Michael_Jackson1.jpg">
240. Michael Jackson -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2AitTPI5U0
" target="_blank">"Black or White"</a> -- A classic riff, and the song has an interesting subtext because it came out during the time that MJ's skin color was changing from black to white due to a rare medical condition.
239. Filter -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SZblBbM_FM" target="_blank">"Hey Man, Nice Shot"</a> -- This is the first heavy, scary-sounding song that I actually found myself liking.
238. Ash -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkSl9GGOFHM&feature=related
" target="_blank">"Girl from Mars"</a> -- One of the rockingest songs about loving a girl from afar (so far, in fact, that you don't even know her name).
237. Ben Folds -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn5IHOi-vII
" target="_blank">"Not the Same"</a> -- The beat(s) of this song get into your brain and never let up, and it's done entirely with piano and vocals by one man, the talented Mr. Folds.
236. Sixpence None the Richer -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YcNzHOBmk8
" target="_blank">"Kiss Me"</a> -- It turns out that it is possible to want to cuddle with a piece of music.
235. Michelle Branch -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeK_aAWjmfw
" target="_blank">"Goodbye to You"</a> -- If you've ever had someone take an exit from your life for any reason, facial tissues might be in order while listening to this.
234. Oleander --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyTx1VqtKcI
" target="_blank">"Are You There?"</a> -- Just a straight-up, unapologetic groove monster.
233. Camera Obscura -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3CkfvYMCWM
" target="_blank">"French Navy"</a> -- When I first popped in the "My Maudlin Career" album and heard Tracyanne's "Spent a week in a dusty library ...," I suspected I might have a new favorite band on my hands. Eleven tracks later, I did.
232. Four Star Mary --
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckjsDpyJecM
" target="_blank">"Pain"</a> -- This is the sound of The Bronze (on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") right here.
231. TLC -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-n-jZJhpT4
" target="_blank">"Waterfalls"</a> -- A fresh, anecdote-driven way of sharing the message "If it sounds too good to be true, it is."
Top 300 songsMusicFri, 09 Jul 2010 00:01:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/9/My-300-favorite-songs-240231My 300 favorite songs: 250-241http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/8/My-300-favorite-songs-250241
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//britney-spears.jpg">
250. Britney Spears -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0bPrt69rag" target="_blank">"Sometimes"</a> -- If pop songs had flavors, this one would taste like strawberries.
249. Tonic -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF_xq8tP1Lk
" target="_blank">"Head on Straight"</a> -- For some bizarre reason, I and the Grammy Awards voters were the only people who liked Tonic's "Head on Straight" album. It consistently rocks, although oddly, there isn't one song that stands out from the pack, so I'll choose the title track as the default representative.
248. Black Eyed Peas -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEe_eraFWWs
" target="_blank">"My Humps"</a> -- It takes a certain brilliance to create a song this stupid, so I'm giving due credit.
247. Flickerstick -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMGEfs4kiyY
" target="_blank">"Chloroform the One You Love"</a> -- Flickerstick are such romantics.
246. Franz Ferdinand -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKyG1dRoDlA
" target="_blank">"Dark of the Matinee"</a> -- It goes through a lot of musical twists and turns, and you don't want to get off the ride.
245. Rick Springfield -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxvK27Dz3iU
" target="_blank">"I've Done Everything For You"</a> -- It gets right to the point: "I've done everything for you/ You've done nothing for me."
244. The Killers -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGdGFtwCNBE
" target="_blank">"Mr. Brightside"</a> -- Brandon Flowers' imagination runs wild (but not in a good way) as he thinks about a girl he likes. And yet he looks on the bright side. A classic example of the music and lyrics being out of sync in an intriguing way.
243. Stereophonics -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TFdHi8E-h4
" target="_blank">"Have a Nice Day"</a> -- The Stereophonics are my all-time favorite band that sounds like the Goo Goo Dolls. Including the Goo Goo Dolls.
242. Guided By Voices -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHB_6aPR-sQ" target="_blank">"The Brides Have Hit Glass"</a> -- GBV seemed like it made catchy-on-the-first-listen pop tunes without really trying. And yet sometimes there was a little extra depth there.
241. Bruce Springsteen -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btFELvxhYUE" target="_blank">"Sad Eyes"</a> -- "Sad eyes never lie." Another truism from Bruce.
Top 300 songsMusicThu, 08 Jul 2010 02:47:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/8/My-300-favorite-songs-250241My 300 favorite songs: 260-251http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/7/My-300-favorite-songs-260251
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//gnarls-barkley.jpg">
260. Gnarls Barkley -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd2B6SjMh_w" target="_blank">"Crazy"</a> -- For about a month in 2006, I thought this was the catchiest song ever. I'm not as crazy about it now, but the craftsmanship is still undeniable.
259. Bruce Springsteen -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzS2Vug-esA" target="_blank">"Darkness on the Edge of Town"</a> -- One of my favorite early epics of Bruce's. It probably has a more specific meaning, but I just think of the literal darkness on the edge of any town in the USA and how your mind wanders when you think of what's out there, be it scary, exciting or whatever.
258. The Weakerthans -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1WxZ4w7NFM
" target="_blank">"One Great City"</a> -- This song happens to be about Winnipeg, but that Canadian Plains town is just a stand-in for every listener's hometown and our mixed feelings about it.
257. Butthole Surfers -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTltKbfvnfI
" target="_blank">"Pepper"</a> -- It's probably my selective memory, but it seems to me like instantly catchy tunes from random bands hit the airwaves every other week in the '90s. This is a prime example.
256. Natasha Bedingfield featuring Sean Kingston -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPTZVmJrIpo
" target="_blank">"Love Like This"</a> -- I'm going to get Weak Sauced on this one. I don't care. It's too adorable to not be on my list somewhere.
255. Doves -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaEWlYHrF6w
" target="_blank">"Words"</a> -- This song has so much going on instrumentally that it brings up happy thoughts of going the circus. That's an odd correlation since I've never been to a circus and don't care to.
254. Treble Charger -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULUetbvfDlI
" target="_blank">"Funny"</a> -- I love it when hooky throwaway pop-rock bands suddenly crank out an emotional mini-epic.
253. Lady Gaga -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bESGLojNYSo
" target="_blank">"Poker Face"</a> -- This song sounded awesome to my ear before I knew exactly what Gaga was saying (particularly the "Can't read my/ Can't read my/ No you can't read my ..." part). That's a mark of well-crafted pop.
252. Norah Jones -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccu9YUgP680
" target="_blank">"Don't Know Why"</a> -- Whenever I want to hear something that sounds pleasant but doesn't require any thought whatsoever, Norah's my go-to gal.
251. The Refreshments -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfZbFh7qlCQ
" target="_blank">"Banditos"</a> -- You know a song's awesome when everyone's singing along with it without precisely knowing the words: "Something, something, something, Jean Luc Picard, and the United Federation of Planets, and they don't speak English anyway." And then the chorus about the world being full of stupid people (which, paradoxically, everyone can relate to; does that mean we are all stupid people?). Whatever. It's good stuff.
Top 300 songsMusicWed, 07 Jul 2010 00:30:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/7/My-300-favorite-songs-260251My 300 favorite songs: 270-261http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/6/My-300-favorite-songs-270261
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//streets_of_philadelphia.jpg">
270. Bruce Springsteen -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z2DtNW79sQ
" target="_blank">"Streets of Philadelphia"</a> -- Another Boss song where you start off like "Well, that beat's pretty repetitive and obvious" and then you get into the lyrics and a few minutes later you're a puddle on the floor.
269. Chantal Kreviazuk -- <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7RLcq4Kn3Y
" target="_blank">cover of John Denver's "Leaving on a Jet Plane"</a> -- I like "Leave your cubicle chair spinning and a trail of dust behind as you blast out of town" songs, and this one doesn't really work because I tend to travel by Jeep rather than jet plane. Still, I like it. Kreviazuk's version was made for "Armageddon," which is either the worst or best movie ever made, possibly both.
268. The Old 97s -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHx8I4XnFgw
" target="_blank">"Buick City Complex"</a> -- A standout track off the band's consistently catchy "Satellite Rides" album.
267. Weezer -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9BGLtqqkVI
" target="_blank">"Hash Pipe"</a> -- I found myself a bit bored at a Weezer concert in Fargo, N.D., because they played a long string of slow stuff. Then Rivers Cuomo introduced the next song with "This one's for my mom" before blasting into the hammering riff of "Hash Pipe." The whole Fargodome went nuts, rightly so.
266. Weird Al Yankovic -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb-Mce9VpmY" target="_blank">"The Night Santa Went Crazy"</a> -- I admit it, I enjoy me a good Weird Al tune every now and then.
265. Semisonic -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGytDsqkQY8
" target="_blank">"Closing Time"</a> -- Before this song existed, a waitress or bouncer would just yell out "Closing time!" at the end of the night. How un-poetic. Playing this song is much classier.
264. Dan Bern -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR6hkhgqomM&feature=related
" target="_blank">"Black Tornado"</a> -- The first musician friends I made on my first entertainment beat in the early Aughts, Fargo's own Brooks West and Josh Harty, loved to rip through this song together. It was always a highlight of their shows.
263. The Jayhawks -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4vzMBqhBas&feature=related
" target="_blank">"Smile"</a> -- "Smile when you're down and out." Good message, and the prettiness of the song doesn't hurt, either.
262. Pete Yorn -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrDtczC58ds
" target="_blank">"EZ"</a> -- Pete came out of nowhere to record 14 tracks of pure spun gold, "musicforthemorningafter" in 2001 (this track is the standout), and then tailed off on future albums. I'm not giving up on him, but I wonder if there are some artists who have one amazing work of art in them, and then they are spent.
261. The Smiths -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRtW1MAZ32M&feature=related
" target="_blank">"There is a Light that Never Goes Out"</a> -- Who else but Morrissey could sing about being creamed by a double-decker bus and make it sound so beautiful?
Top 300 songsMusicTue, 06 Jul 2010 00:31:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/6/My-300-favorite-songs-270261My 300 favorite songs: 280-271http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/5/My-300-favorite-songs-280271
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//everclear1.jpg">
280. Everclear (pictured) -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQiBop5ns8k
" target="_blank">"Wonderful"</a> -- It's nostalgic (the 'Star Wars' poster on Art Alexakis' bedroom door) and upbeat at first glance, but it soon becomes clear that it's sarcastic and negative.
279. The Ramones -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMD7Ezp3gWc" target="_blank">"I Wanna Be Sedated"</a> -- I thought about using The Offspring's cover from the "Idle Hands" soundtrack, but then realized that would be ridiculous because it merely mimics the excellent original.
278. Oleander -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDoiZc25t-k
" target="_blank">"I Walk Alone"</a> -- Out of the batch of heavy-ish rock bands from the late '90s, I always connected most with this Sacramento outfit because of its pop sensibility and Tom Flowers' distinctive voice.
277. Bruce Springsteen -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hQfethTJN0
" target="_blank">"Darlington County"</a> -- It might have the most quotable lyrics of the "Born in the USA" tracks. For example: "Our pas each own one of the World Trade Centers/ For a kiss and a smile I'd give mine all to you." And later: "I see Wayne handcuffed to the bumper of a state trooper's Ford."
276. Marvelous 3 -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcmTJEyktYU
" target="_blank">"This Time"</a> -- Butch Walker's roommate wears dirty sweatpants and drinks all his booze, but Butch is ready to put his foot down about that and other issues in his life: "This time will be the last time ..."
275. Kings of Leon -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnhXHvRoUd0
" target="_blank">"Use Somebody"</a> -- Lead singer Anthony Followill has a gift for communicating his feelings entirely through the inflection of his voice. The lyrics fit, but they are almost superfluous.
274. Regina Spektor -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wigqKfLWjvM
" target="_blank">"Fidelity"</a> -- Regina is generally a bit too quirky for my tastes, but her breakthrough tune has the right mix of hookiness to go with the quirkiness.
273. Beach Boys -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIN5si6seIY
" target="_blank">"Feel Flows"</a> -- Not many songs sounded like this when it came out. It influenced a lot of future pop-rockers, and it also stands the test of time.
272. Avril Lavigne -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg59q4puhmg
" target="_blank">"Girlfriend"</a> -- Just a straightforward pop tune that communicates a common feeling: Wanting what you can't have and imagining what it would be like to do something about it.
271. The Beatles -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffDEKM82O_A
" target="_blank">"I Want to Hold Your Hand"</a> -- No, this isn't a song that I go out of my way to listen to. However, when I consider that none of the other 299 songs on this list would exist without it, I figured I had better give it a nod.
Top 300 songsMusicMon, 05 Jul 2010 00:52:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/5/My-300-favorite-songs-280271My 300 favorite songs: 290-281http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/4/My-300-favorite-songs-290281
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//Gin-Blossoms.jpg">
290. Gin Blossoms -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah5gAkna3jI
" target="_blank">"Hey Jealousy"</a> -- The Gin Blossoms knew the '90s were here before a lot of their contemporaries did, as this 1992 song demonstrates.
289. Natalie Imbruglia -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV1XWJN3nJo
" target="_blank">"Torn"</a> -- Natalie is all torn up by a recent breakup, and her emotions come through in this song that was overplayed even as the singer herself managed to disappear from the pop charts.
288. Mariah Carey -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfRNRymrv9k
" target="_blank">"Always Be My Baby"</a> -- Although Mariah and her boyfriend have broken up, she knows that at some point they'll get back together because he will always be her baby. Or will they? That's the heart-wrenching question that lurks underneath this delicately catchy tune.
287. Courtney Love -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy1A0MNn-to
" target="_blank">"Sunset Strip"</a> -- A well-written song that becomes more powerful because of who is singing it, especially when Love croaks out "Look at me for the very last time ..."
286. "Team America: World Police" theme song -- Due to the explicit lyrics, I'll let my readers find this clip on their own. Suffice it to say that it's a great track to blast on Independence Day, but you'll probably want to do so in your home or car rather than at a park or your workplace.
285. John Fogerty -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04KQydlJ-qc
" target="_blank">"Centerfield"</a> -- In addition to being about baseball, this song sounds like what baseball would sound like if the sport was transformed into music. A ballpark classic.
284. Bruce Springsteen -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77gKSp8WoRg
" target="_blank">"My Hometown"</a> -- A powerful song that sounds the death knell of small towns. It's easy to toss this aside if you're looking for a more rocking Boss cut, but I'm always surprised by how the riff catches my attention along with the message.
283. Smashing Pumpkins -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27zGACIsDM0
" target="_blank">"Believe"</a> -- I believe Billy Corgan let James Iha record this rough-but-beautiful track as a B-side to the band's "1979" single.
282. The Killers -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZTpLvsYYHw
" target="_blank">"All These Things That I've Done"</a> -- There are dozens of catchy moments that got people to run out and buy the band's breakthrough "Hot Fuss" album. For a friend of mine, it was the part where Brandon Flowers repeats "I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier." Amen.
281. Rilo Kiley -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSO4Y9ygPIw
" target="_blank">"The Frug"</a> -- Little Jenny Lewis from "The Wizard" tells us that she will do the Frug and various other dances, but she will not do the Smurf. Of course, the ridiculousness of the topic is part of the song's charm.
Top 300 songsMusicSun, 04 Jul 2010 00:40:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/4/My-300-favorite-songs-290281My 300 favorite songs: 300-291http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/3/My-300-favorite-songs-300291
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//green-day.jpg">
My friend Chance recently cranked out his 300 favorite songs on his Facebook page, and that inspired me to create my own list. I'll post 10 songs a day over the next 30 days.
Feel free to share your reminiscences of these songs and comment on whether you love 'em, hate 'em or are indifferent. The really great ones will be higher up on the list, of course. But I can say that at one point or another, I liked all 300 of these songs.
300. Green Day (pictured) -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnQ8N1KacJc" target="_blank">"Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)"</a> -- It was the soundtrack to all the poignant moments of the late '90s, most notably the "Seinfeld" finale.
299. Rick Springfield -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2T7wKdQsTo" target="_blank">"Jesse's Girl"</a> -- There are a lot of horrible, overplayed songs on the cover-band circuit, but this one always gets my feet tapping. It still holds up a billion plays later.
298. AC/DC -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y72hJ2xSc4&feature=PlayList&p=F7F21A1147061B5D&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=31" target="_blank">"Hard as a Rock"</a> -- My favorite AC/DC song is a somewhat obscure choice, but to me, nothing else competes with this riff.
297. Dido -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSu5nAQ7uZw" target="_blank">"Here with Me"</a> -- Being the "Roswell" theme song bumps this one up a notch, but it's not a bad tune to begin with.
296. Crash Test Dummies -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhuPiBZHvLE" target="_blank">"Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm"</a> -- The deep voice and the simple-as-it-gets chorus give this entry oddity value, but it's also a powerful little number.
295. Remy Zero -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFf1S8HxiKI" target="_blank">"Perfect Memory"</a> -- One of those classic farewell songs, with the obvious but effective "I'll remember you" lyric.
294. Motley Crue -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c6KeQmXnEw" target="_blank">"Girls Girls Girls"</a> -- If you're looking for an obnoxiously great hair band rocker, look no further than this ditty about "long legs and burgundy lips."
293. Presidents of the United States of America -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvcohzJvviQ" target="_blank">"Peaches"</a> -- The best song ever written about fruit paved the way for other semi-jokey pop bands at the turn of the century.
292. Everlast and Santana -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcoP8c7pNVc" target="_blank">"Put Your Lights On"</a> -- A steamy, sultry summer song that shows off Santana's talent while still being an Everlast song.
291. Treble Charger -- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMlYDA4bdNM" target="_blank">"Ever She Flows"</a> -- Katie Holmes danced on a truck bed to this tune in "Disturbing Behavior" and thus I discovered one of the many talented Canadian pop bands to emerge in the '90s.
Top 300 songsMusicSat, 03 Jul 2010 00:36:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/7/3/My-300-favorite-songs-300291The inevitable ‘Glee’ backlash: Is it here already?http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/6/5/The-inevitable-Glee-backlash-Is-it-here-already
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//glee_gaga.jpg">
A friend of mine recently said he hates <a href="http://www.hulu.com/glee" target="_blank">"Glee"</a> (the first-season finale will air at 7:59 p.m. Central Tuesday on Fox). He shared his opinion after the episode that featured two KISS songs, and he's a big KISS fan, and I think it might have been the first episode he watched, but still, he makes a valid point: Why perform songs if they are going to be inferior to the original version?
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Entertainment Weekly, on the other hand, loves "Glee." Sue Sylvester ranked No. 18 on the magazine's recent top 100 characters of the last 20 years, a list so competitive that it didn't have room for Bender, Veronica Mars or anyone from "Firefly." It seems "Glee" has taken over "Lost's" position as the show EW fawns over more than any other. And average joes and janes love it, too. I've had friends tell me I underrated "Glee" when I put it at No. 8 on my 2009 TV rankings.
My view of "Glee" doesn't make for juicy copy: I think it's good enough to keep on my viewing schedule, but too flawed to rank among TV's elite.
A perusal of some of the tracks on the latest "Glee" music compilation ("Volume 3: Showstoppers") illustrates what's good and bad about the show.
1. "Hello, Goodbye." The cast performance is inferior to the Beatles version, of course. However, if superiority over the original were a requirement for a song being covered, no one would ever cover the Beatles. And the "Glee" performance is still pretty good, simply because it's a good song to begin with.
2. "Gives You Hell." I don't know if this is better or worse than the original, because I had never heard of this song before (I looked it up, and it's by the All-American Rejects). But the anger -- "Hope it gives you hell/Hope it gives you hell" -- comes through even outside the context of the "Glee" storyline (which is good, because I can't recall the context), so it's worth doing to expose non-top-40 listeners to a good tune.
6. "Beautiful." Amber Riley's (Mercedes) version isn't as good as Christina Aguilera's, even though she has one of the best voices on the show. However, when Mercedes sings it in front of the school, calling out anyone who feels like an outsider and getting absolutely everyone to join in, it's a powerful moment. Sometimes "Glee" does what a good musical should do: Advance the story by means of a song.
8. "Physical." Olivia Newton-John joins Jane Lynch (Sue) on this version. It's similar to the original recording, but Newton-John (as she says in the episode) saw this as an opportunity to replace an old music video that she wasn't proud of. But the new video isn't inspired -- it's just Newton-John and Lynch parading around with shirtless, fit men. It didn't meld into the story particularly smoothly, so this is an example of a boring and unnecessary cover.
9. "Total Eclipse of the Heart." It's a good song, and we just like to hear it now and then. It's like when I saw a high school staging of "Grease" a few years ago, and they concluded with the fan favorite "You're the One that I Want." As good as the original? Maybe not, but it was still fun.
13. "Dream On." It's a rather dull Aerosmith song to cover, considering how many options there are. And, surprisingly, it's not a good rendition by Neil Patrick Harris and Matthew Morrison in an episode directed by Joss Whedon (they just sing it in a bar, and later on a stage with minimal decor). It fits with the story (Harris' character needs encouragement to keep dreaming), but in such an obvious way that I was thinking "OK, I get it" through the whole performance.
14. "Safety Dance." It's a catchy song, and a catchy cover. More importantly, it's the best piece of choreography of the season so far. Kevin McHale's character, Artie, gets out of his wheelchair in a daydream sequence and dances expertly with an entire shopping mall full of people, and there are hints that it was filmed in the midst of real shoppers who stopped to gawk. "Glee" doesn't do big-time choreography as often as it should (or, perhaps, as often as it wants to). I have no idea why they put their best dancer this side of Heather Morris in a wheelchair, but I'm glad Artie got on his feet for this one.
16. "Loser." This Beck song never connected with me, because of the obscure foreign-language chorus. Given just a bit of context (Puck, Finn and others feel like losers), it came to life for me, and it's sung well enough that I suspect Beck would approve.
18. "Beth." I didn't realize this was a KISS song when I saw the episode (I apologize to KISStorians). But I certainly noticed that the setup of the four guys sitting in classroom chairs singing it to the girls was as bland as it gets. The song bored me, too. This and the episode's other KISS performance (done with full makeup and costumes but performed in rote fashion) landed flat for KISS fans and non-KISS fans alike.
19. "Poker Face." Two talented singers -- Lea Michele (Rachel) and guest star/singer Idina Menzel -- do a good job with their slow version of this Lady Gaga tune. By slowing it down, it matched the emotions of the story (Rachel wants to get to know her mom, but doesn't want to seem desperate about it). However, the fast version is certainly superior, so in "Glee" album form, "Poker Face" becomes a skippable curiosity.
20. "Bad Romance." Lady Gaga's version is catchy, and so is the cast's very similar cover. The choreography is strong, though, and the costumes (everyone dresses up as a Gaga character) make it pop off the screen. That's why it's totally worth doing, even if it doesn't improve on the original recording.
So there you have it. Sometimes "Glee" gets it right, sometimes it gets it wrong. I keep tuning in because when they get it right it's a lot of fun, and when they get it wrong it doesn't really affect my life negatively.
Maybe I'd feel different if I was a KISS fan, but I will add this note. I love Bruce Springsteen's catalogue, and Kristin Chenowith and Matthew Morrison sang Springsteen's "Fire" in a roller-skating rink in one episode. It's not as good as the Springsteen version, but I wasn't bothered by their attempt because one, I love the fact that they tried their hand at a Boss tune, and two, it was pretty neat how they sang it while roller skating.
"Glee" isn't any better or worse than when it started, but as the novelty of a successful serial musical wears off, the backlash will certainly set in, and "Glee" will give critics no shortage of things to criticize. It looks like I find myself in the position of being a "Glee" apologist, but not a "Glee" lover.
TelevisionGleeMusicSat, 05 Jun 2010 03:08:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/6/5/The-inevitable-Glee-backlash-Is-it-here-alreadyShe & Him: The best grammatically incorrect duo in recent memoryhttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/4/30/She--Him-The-best-grammatically-incorrect-duo-in-recent-memory
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//she&him.jpg">
Like 99 percent of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/sheandhim
" target="_blank">She & Him</a> listeners, I discovered Zooey Deschanel's singing talents through her film work. Many were hooked when she sang a short song in "Elf." But it took me until last year's "(500) Days of Summer," in which she soft-sings "To die by your side / Is such a heavenly way to die" to Tom in the elevator and covers another Smiths song on the soundtrack.
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The first She & Him album (2008's aptly titled Volume One) is a showcase of Deschanel's beautiful voice. (By the way, the Him in She & Him is M. Ward, responsible for the '60s-esque chamber pop and beach-style music that accompanies Zooey's voice so nicely.)
But the recently released Volume Two is a significant step forward. If Deschanel is someday known more as a musician than an actress, we will point to this album as the turning point.
The reason is Deschanel's songwriting. On Volume One, Deschanel used her voice to make OK songs listenable. Those songs sounded kind of like throwaway tunes from the '60s. On Volume Two, the songs are poppier and catchier, and they sound like they should have been hits in the '60s.
"Lingering Still" has a two-word title hook that so many pop hits used to have: "And the world's like a science and I'm like a secret / But I saw you lingering still / I saw you lingering still." I can picture Zooey singing it on "American Bandstand" and making the guys and the gals in the studio audience swoon. "Over It Over Again" also has a hooky feel to it: "I've gotten over it over and over again."
For some reason, "Thieves" makes me think of Deschanel's cotton commercials. When she breaks into "And I know, and you know too / That love like ours is terrible news," I think she's going to say "The touch, the feel of cotton / The fabric of our lives." Hopefully I'll get past that someday, because the actual lyrics are good ones.
A couple songs are kind of bland, serving as filler that you don't have to think about too hard until the next poppy song kicks in. The chorus on "Me and You" is a bit of a yawner: "You've got to be kind to yourself / You've got to be kind to yourself."
"Brand New Shoes" almost does away with the backing band entirely; it's just a smidgen of acoustic guitar as Zooey sings: "It's nothing, nothing, nothing / Nothing at all."
"If You Can't Sleep" is a more effective non-instrument track. With its hummed female backing vocals, it almost gets into the atmospheric zone of Cat Power as Deschanel sings "Goodbye shadows / Goodbye shadows."
It'll be interesting to see if She & Him delves into slightly darker territory like this on future albums, but I'm certainly not complaining about the sunny stuff, like "In the Sun." This tune is made all the more great by the music video in which an adorable Zooey and a bunch of backup dancers turn it into a dance number; perhaps she was jealous that Joseph-Gordon Levitt got to do that Hall & Oates sequence in "(500) Days?"
Two of the 13 tracks are written by outside songwriters. The best -- and the album's best entry, to be honest -- is "Ridin' My Car," a delicious traveling tune. The lyrics lament relationship troubles, yet they always lead into the chorus: "And I still think about you every time I'm riding in my car."
Ward chips in on the vocals here, and he has a nice voice. Actually, he sounds kind of like a girl, and Deschanel can sometimes break out a deeper-sounding voice, so Ward probably figures his duets with Zooey aren't an ideal mix, but I liked it anyway.
For the foreseeable future, I'll be thinking about (and listening to) She & Him every time I'm riding in my car.
MusicFri, 30 Apr 2010 23:20:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/4/30/She--Him-The-best-grammatically-incorrect-duo-in-recent-memoryHold onto this throwaway album from Butch Walkerhttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/3/31/Hold-onto-this-throwaway-album-from-Butch-Walker
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//butch-walker.jpg">
<a href="http://www.myspace.com/butchwalker" target="_blank">Butch Walker's</a> latest album was, according to the liner notes, "written and recorded in 5 days at RubyRed Productions in Santa Monica, CA." I'm not surprised. Not because the album is rushed and sloppy, but because it's really good -- but in a breezy, effortless way that I've come to associate with the artist.
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This time around, Walker calls himself and his backing band Butch Walker and the Black Widows, and he calls the album "I Liked You Better When You Had No Heart." But fans will probably just end up calling it "Butch's new album" until the next one comes out, and then it'll become "Butch's 2010 album."
All of Walker's discs, starting with his breakthrough "Hey Album!" under the Marvelous 3 name in 1999, have a "write-it-and-record-it" feel that is easy to listen to. And, I've always assumed, easy for Walker to write. I don't know much about his background, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that his musical talent comes not so much from classes and studying, but more from natural talent and learning on the job.
Although I don't know the details of his formative years, Butch seems like an old friend to me. And locations -- Cartersville -- and characters -- Marie, who has sex for free (but for 10 bucks an hour she'll listen to me) that pop up in his songs are comfortably familiar. Even his power-pop hooks seem instantly familiar, even though they are never exact rip-offs of previous chord combinations.
The Atlanta-area native has found more commercial success by writing tunes for other artists: pop singer Avril Lavigne, '80s rocker Tommy Lee and -- perhaps most famously -- country star Taylor Swift (the ubiquitous "You Belong with Me"; Walker's version is included as a bonus download with this album). Even if you've never heard of Walker (which, sadly, is a situation I run into often, even among serious music fans), you've probably liked a song he wrote.
But kind of like how Philip K. Dick found commercial success with sci-fi but did his best work in his under-published real-world novels, Walker is best when he's recording his own work.
That work is separated into catchy power-pop tunes and emotional ballads, and he's always been better at the first category, although his efforts in the second category aren't painful to listen to by any means.
On this new album, the most obvious hit (I still think in terms of "radio-friendly hits" even though radio has made it clear that it will always ignore Walker's solo work) is "Pretty Melody," which makes nice use of '60s-pop-style bass drums on the chorus. As in: "You're such a pretty melody" -- Ba-Bum -- "I'm such a tattooed tragedy ..." The bass drum combines deliciously with Walker's voice, which effectively conveys his lyrics' emotions.
But opening track "Trash Day" has really grown on me in my first month of owning this album. Walker sings "Trash day in Beverly Hills ...," tells a little story about the town, and follows with verses about "trash day in Nashville, Tennessee" and "trash day in Atlanta, GA."
I said earlier that I like Walker's catchy rockers more than his softer ballads, and yet "Canadian Ten" really is a 10. I imagine it to be a wistful lament about a lustful ex who happened to be a Canuck.
Also, "Be Good Until Then" isn't as skippable as you'd think it would be with a refrain like "And it's OK to cry/If you feel it coming on." Walker lists nice little moral tidbits like "Always know the road you're riding on/Always know the words to your baby's song/Try to make the most of Friday nights when they come."
Walker's absolute best albums in terms of flat-out, no-apologies, hair-metal-influenced pop tunes are his last two Marvelous 3 discs and his first solo album, "Left of Self-Centered" (2002). He dipped toward mediocrity with "Letters" (2004) and "The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's-Go-Out-Tonites" (2006).
Then he found a more layered sound, while also making his songwriting more personal, on "Sycamore Meadows" (2008), which was recorded in the wake of his house burning down. That's tragic, but perhaps listeners were the creative beneficiaries.
"I Liked You Better When You Had No Heart" continues that last album's diverse sound. "Don't You Think Someone Should Take You Home," for example, is basically a coffee-shop folk tune. This album isn't quite as great as "Sycamore Meadows," but I've had it spinning in my Jeep for a month, front to back and back to the front again.
It might not be Walker's best album, but it sure is easy to like.
MusicWed, 31 Mar 2010 02:12:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2010/3/31/Hold-onto-this-throwaway-album-from-Butch-Walker(Matt’s) top 10 albums of 2009http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/12/31/Matts-top-10-albums-of-2009
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//musical-notes.jpg">
For the last post of the first year of my blog, I'd like to introduce you to my music geek friend Matt (not to be confused with my comic-book geek friend Another Matt, who also posts comments sometimes), and his recently launched blog, <a href="http://thebside.webs.com/" target="_blank">The B-Side.</a>
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Since it's the season for top 10 lists, be sure to check out Matt's <a href=" http://thebside.webs.com/apps/blog/show/2311536-best-albums-of-2009
" target="_blank">top 10 albums of 2009</a> article.
If you feel like my blog does OK with TV and movies but needs more music discussion, The B-Side is your solution. As a nice bonus, Matt has good, diverse taste in music (about half of my favorite bands I discovered on a tip from him) and he writes about it in a nice, conversational style. I already checked with Matt, and he's happy to have you guys come over and check out his site.
As for my blog, thanks to everyone who got in on the discussion this year (or even just read stuff, but I especially like it when people post responses). We all know 2010 will be better than 2009 overall, and I hope that holds true for entertainment, too. At any rate, I'll be back here starting tomorrow, ready to chat about it.
Catch you in the new year.
2009 in reviewInternetMusicThu, 31 Dec 2009 05:42:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/12/31/Matts-top-10-albums-of-2009My favorite pop songs of the Aughtshttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/12/28/My-favorite-pop-songs-of-the-Aughts
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//camera-obscura-2.jpg">
Putting together my top 20 songs of the decade list is more personal, more a matter of taste, than compiling the TV and movie lists. There will be a few songs on this list that you love, too, but mostly it's stuff you have no interest in sampling, let alone purchasing.
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I'll warn you up front that you'll find only three types of songs among my top 20 pop songs of the Aughts: 1, songs that will make you want to kill yourself; 2, songs that make you want to keep living, only so you can keep hearing brilliantly depressing songs like this; and 3, unapologetically catchy throwaway hits (which might, if your tastes run a different way, make you want to kill yourself when you listen to it).
Anyway, here are 20 songs that struck a chord with me this decade:
1. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfDg7Vz8Ow4" target="_blank">"Honey in the Sun,"</a> Camera Obscura (2009) -- Camera Obscura (pictured above) has everything I look for in a pop band: Scottish. Check. Cute female lead singer with a beautiful voice. Check. Pop hooks. Check. Breaks from the pop hook where you get swept away on a wave of what seems like 100 different instruments blended together. Check. This song, among many tasty gems from C.O., best sums up the band.
2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CPLNyopyOg" target="_blank">"Another Sunny Day,"</a> Belle and Sebastian (2006) -- The prettiest pop song ever written for overly emotional, socially challenged, hopelessly romantic young men who like throwback-sounding bands from Scotland.
3. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-L-aXKG5vE" target="_blank">"Tunnels,"</a> Arcade Fire (2004) -- It's a relatively vague song, yet it's clearly about growing up. The Canadian band packs in great, kind-of-sad lyrics that raise the whole thing to an epic level: "Then we tried to name our babies/We forgot all of the names that/The names we used to know."
4. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGwZ7MNtBFU" target="_blank">"Cool,"</a> Gwen Stefani (2004) -- Both the song and the video define bittersweet. Stefani sings about how it's great to be friends with an ex who is now married to someone else, but when she brings up memories like Harbor Boulevard, you get a feeling she's a bit sad about the days gone by.
5. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8PB1a1c9zA" target="_blank">"Girls in Their Summer Clothes,"</a> Bruce Springsteen (2007) -- Easily the most profound song ever written about girls wearing summer clothes. We all want to be as cool as Springsteen when we get to be his age. Or heck, even now.
6. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYdiAz4ddIg" target="_blank">"Goddamn Lonely Love,"</a> Drive By Truckers (2004) -- It's so cry-in-your-beer downbeat that it borders on being a parody of itself. But it works, because sometimes you just need to lose yourself an endless parade of great lyrics like "I ain't really drownin' 'cause I can see the beach from here."
7. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIv8-tYorRk" target="_blank">"Hey Ya!,"</a> Outkast (2003) -- Here's a pop song that's not ashamed to be a pop song. Consider that the chorus is "Hey ya, hey ya, hey ya, hey ya," and yet it still sounds somewhat profound. That's an impressive trick.
8. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oofSnsGkops" target="_blank">"You're Beautiful,"</a> James Blunt (2005) -- We were all singing along in the summer of '05, stumbling over "when she thought up that I should be with you" and laughing about how "f***ing high" was changed to "flying high" on the radio. Do a YouTube search now, and you'll mostly find parodies, but that doesn't make this less of a melancholy masterpiece.
9. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIZdjT1472Y" target="_blank">"Human,"</a> The Killers (2008) -- Brandon Flowers explores the age-old dilemma: "Are we human, or are we dancer?" You have to admire a song that fits right in on the sound system at American Eagle Outfitters, and at the same time doesn't suck.
10. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDUHJNVjpS0" target="_blank">"Sing Me Spanish Techno,"</a> The New Pornographers (2005) -- The lyrics from this Canadian band lament about "listening too long to one song." It's appropriate, because this beat is catchy enough for many repeat listenings.
11. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx4Hjq6KwO0" target="_blank">"Everybody's Changing,"</a> Keane (2004) -- The best song off the best album by a British band that knows how to make pianos rock.
12. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2ojyNeZaYQ" target="_blank">"History in the Making,"</a> Darius Rucker (2008) -- As a fan of Hootie & the Blowfish's '90s work, I never thought I'd sign off on Rucker goin' country. But songs like this actually make country respectable, so the Hootie frontman has my blessing.
13. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0YH-s4jmCU" target="_blank">"Wake Up,"</a> Hilary Duff (2005) -- Of all the tween idols that emerged in the '00s, Duff is my favorite, mostly because of "Lizzie McGuire" and "Raise Your Voice," but also because of this pop gem that imagines the possibilities of the club scene (way too optimistically, but that's the charm).
14. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKGHkBComjM" target="_blank">"Such Great Heights,"</a> Iron and Wine (2003) -- This soft and simply recorded remake of a previously synthetic-sounding Postal Service song sums up the rich emotions of "Garden State," my favorite film of the decade.
15. <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlMEGBsw6j8
" target="_blank">"Won't Go Home Without You,"</a> Maroon 5 (2007) -- Lead singer Adam Levine captures that feeling when you don't know if a girl likes you or not, but you'd really like to find out.
16. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx2u5uUu3DE" target="_blank">"It's My Life,"</a> Bon Jovi (2000) -- The Kmart Bruce Springsteen bellows about how he's gonna live while he's alive, and that's not a bad message. Bon Jovi gets bonus points for casting Shiri Appleby in the music video.
17. <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPTZVmJrIpo
" target="_blank">"Love Like This,"</a> Natasha Bedingfield feat. Sean Kingston (2008) -- Pure pop bliss, sung by one of the most ridiculously attractive songstresses out there.
18. <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEe_eraFWWs
" target="_blank">"My Humps,"</a> Black Eyed Peas (2005) -- You forgot about this song, didn't you? Well, beware the wrath of end-of-decade lists, which must include any song that asks the timeless question: "Whatcha gonna do wit all dat ass, all dat ass inside dem jeans?"
19. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1Z89zW-8sY" target="_blank">"Innocent,"</a> Our Lady Peace (2002) -- This Canadian band reminds us that none of us asked to be born, none of us has a manual for life, and none of us gets a second go-around. It's easy to be hard on ourselves after humanity's performance in the Aughts, but OLP puts a refreshing spin on things with this "Don't be so hard on yourself" anthem.
20. <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDKFn9gwNC8" target="_blank">"Don't Stop Believin',"</a> "Glee" cast (2009) -- The 1981 rock anthem by Journey is so good that it now makes it onto lists for other decades. The "Glee" version isn't as good, of course, but it gives the song an interesting spin with wide-eyed, big-voiced Rachel belting it out. Besides, "don't stop believing" is a pretty good message to carry into the next decade.
Agree? Disagree? Share your favorites of the decade below.
Aughts in reviewMusicMon, 28 Dec 2009 00:34:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/12/28/My-favorite-pop-songs-of-the-Aughts‘Glee’ is the first successful scripted music show, but maybe we shouldn’t be surprisedhttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/10/Glee-is-the-first-successful-scripted-music-show-but-maybe-we-shouldnt-be-surprised
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//glee_cast.jpg">
Why is <a href="http://www.hulu.com/glee" target="_blank">"Glee"</a> (8 p.m. Central Wednesdays on Fox) the first widely popular scripted music show? I'm almost certain the answer is "random chance," but that would make for a rather short blog post, so I'm going to theorize a bit further.
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Here are arguments for why "Glee's" ratings success isn't completely out of left field:
First, when compared to "Cop Rock" or "Viva Laughlin," "Glee" is simply better. I've never seen those musical series, but anecdotally, I hear they were pretty bad. The entry points were accessible -- "cop show" and "Vegas show" are arguably even safer bets than "high school show" -- but most who tuned in didn't like what they saw.
From episode one, "Glee" hooked everyone with the "Don't Stop Believin'" performance, the adorable high school archetypes and the quirky style. Crucially, Fox gave people plenty of chances to get hooked: While a modest number of people watched the pilot episode when it aired, many more watched it on Hulu or Fox's Web site.
Second, "Glee" is not in the same category as most "unsuccessful shows about music." The shows critics are referring to with that phrase are about the music industry and musicians more so than the music itself. Examples include "Love Monkey," about a music executive; "Kaya," about an up-and-coming rock singer; and "Instant Star," about the winner of an "American Idol"-type show. (Actually, "Instant Star" did have a respectable four-season run, but it was on The-N, so it flew entirely under the radar.) In contrast to those shows, "Glee" is entirely about the music -- and the characters, of course, but we see these high schoolers more as people than as musicians (they are certainly talented singers and dancers, but that doesn't define them).
Third, viewers actually have turned to TV to get a music fix through the years -- even on scripted shows -- so "Glee" isn't breaking new ground in that regard. Some shows even had music venues as part of the fabric of the show. "Beverly Hills 90210" had the Peach Pit After Dark, "Buffy" had The Bronze and "The O.C." had The Bait Shop. These locations served two purposes: 1, it was a ready-made set for scenes of characters hanging out and talking, and 2, it was a place for a guest band to play.
On "90210," the musicians tended to be established acts (so Fox could say, "Tune in tonight to see Color Me Badd on an all-new '90210.'") On "Buffy," they were SoCal bands that no one had ever heard of, but they sounded good. On "The O.C.," they were cool indie bands (legendarily, Death Cab for Cutie got a sales push when Seth Cohen identified them as his favorite band). All three of those shows had successful soundtrack sales, too; the "O.C." albums were essentially a less-mainstream "Now That's What I Call Music."
Finally, and perhaps the biggest reason why we shouldn't be surprised by "Glee's" success, "Glee" has identified itself more with "American Idol" than with any of the aforementioned shows. Because it's on Fox, "Glee" feels like a scripted show for "American Idol" fans. I've never watched "American Idol," but I assume that the time devoted to musical performances on "Glee" isn't much less than on "American Idol." "Glee" delivers three to five complete or partial songs per episode, and the downtime is taken up with plot instead of judges' comments or hype from Ryan Seacrest; I suspect reality show fans transitioned to "Glee" easily.
And consider this: The shows I mentioned earlier in this post (from "Cop Rock" to "Kaya" to "The O.C.") pushed new music from new artists. "American Idol" and "Glee" push old music from new artists (who become more familiar with each episode, of course). It's music of the past, not music of the future. It's really good karaoke. It's music that people have heard before, performed well, and that's why people like these shows.
Fundamentally, we're talking about the same reason why that awful classic rock station is still on the air whereas all the FM stations with DJs went out of business earlier this decade. But there's a key difference: "Glee" isn't awful, it's quite good. (And although I've never watched "Idol," I have enjoyed a few songs by "Idol" alums, so as a training ground for new talent, it certainly has its virtues.) The song selections tend to be respectable. "Don't Stop Believin'" is the greatest song ever, so that was a no-brainer to launch the series with. But how 'bout that mash-up featuring Bon Jovi's "It's My Life?" That's my favorite song from the New Jersey rocker, so I was thrilled when the kids performed it, and they knocked it out of the park.
I don't love every song selection, but there's something about this small-town Ohio glee club that makes me give even my not-so-favorite songs a chance. I never thought I'd enjoy a performance of Jordin Sparks' "No Air" -- which I had kind of disposed from my brain, it being a disposable pop song and all -- until the "Glee" cast tackled it. And a few episodes back, the glee club ripped through a rap song that I was only vaguely familiar with, and it was totally awesome.
Not all of the performances are necessarily better than the original. Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" is, strictly speaking, superior to the glee club's take. But the youthful hopefulness of Rachel and Finn does add a key dimension to the remake, so it sparkles anew. Puck's "Sweet Caroline" won't have Neil Diamond shaking in his sequined shoes, but it was still a neat solo showcase.
Sometimes the remakes improve upon the original. I like Avril Lavigne's "Keep Holding On" well enough, but it was never one of my favorites from the Canadian popster. When the glee clubbers sang it, they added exactly what it needed: A full chorus. It went from being a slightly whiny wannabe epic to a truly epic song where the message shines through rather than being forced through.
With music shows through the years, you never knew what you were gonna get, and while I liked that (especially on "Love Monkey"), it also scared off the casual TV viewer. With "Glee," you don't know exactly what you'll get, but you do know it'll be something you've heard before. That makes the show fun for everybody around the water cooler, and that's why it now seems more like an obvious hit than a surprise hit.
What's your favorite "Glee" song so far? I vote for the "It's My Life"/"Confessions" mash-up (which unfortunately isn't on the first soundtrack, but maybe it'll be on the next one). To refresh your memory of what's been sung so far, check out <a href="http://www.gleesongs.com" target="_blank">gleesongs.com.</a>
TelevisionGleeMusicTue, 10 Nov 2009 03:50:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/10/Glee-is-the-first-successful-scripted-music-show-but-maybe-we-shouldnt-be-surprised3eb, GBV, Rick Springfield, and the definition of musical relevancehttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/10/29/3eb-GBV-Rick-Springfield-and-the-definition-of-musical-relevance
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//musical-notes.jpg">
I'm sorry to say that Third Eye Blind's new album, "Ursa Major," is nowhere near as good as its self-titled debut from 1997. It's also a cut below its second and third albums, from 1999 and 2003.
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I blasted it through a few spins in my Jeep over the last couple weeks, and it just doesn't do it for me; I keep popping in an old Killers disc instead. 3eb still has those distinct whiny vocals from Stephan Jenkins, but it doesn't have the hooks. Remember the first album? It had 14 hook-packed tracks -- "Graduate," "How's It Gonna Be," "Losing a Whole Year," "Jumper" (not to mention "Semi-Charmed Life" ... seriously, not to mention it). And it tacked on some emotion at album's end with "The Background," "Motorcycle Drive-By" and "God of Wine." Damn, that was/is a fine record. Those were the days, am I right?
But listening to this new and inferior Third Eye Blind disc has at least given me some questions to address in this post:
Why do we define bands by decades? Why do I want to call Third Eye Blind a '90s band? Why can I say they were more "relevant" 10 years ago and have everyone agree with me? -- after all, they are just as popular now, and quality is just a matter of taste. And at what point do you stop following a band you used to love?
We mainly do this decades thing with musicians. If we did it with everyone, I would be a "'90s journalist," because that's when I burst onto the journalistic scene with my college paper. Of course, that's a flawed example because it assumes too wide of a relevance level. I could maybe be "'90s journalist John Hansen, from the North Dakota State University school of journalism, such as it is."
If you're a musician, there are two ways to avoid the decade label: 1, Continue to be relevant for three decades or more. That's why we don't say "'70s rocker Bruce Springsteen" or "'60s folkie Bob Dylan." But those two, and the Beatles, are the only exceptions among the mainstream; everyone else gets a decade, even if they are still playing high-priced shows in good-sized venues and releasing new albums regularly, like '80s pop-rocker Rick Springfield or '80s hard rockers Motley Crue. Because of our decade labels, it's actually possible to put out "a new album of '80s music" and have everyone know exactly what you are talking about.
Oh, here's the second way to avoid being pinned to a decade: Stay out of the mainstream. That's why you hear "beloved indie band Guided By Voices" instead of "Eighties indie band Guided By Voices." GBV's level of relevance has been exactly the same from 1987 through today. Even when it ceased to exist in 2004, it maintained the same level of relevance. Guided By Voices didn't rise above a specific time; it stayed below a specific time, so to speak.
By the way, popularity and relevance aren't exactly the same thing. Third Eye Blind is, in terms of chart position, more popular than ever. ("Ursa Major" charted at No. 3, higher than any of its previous releases.) However, as we all know, the band was obviously much more relevant in 1997 than it is now, so therefore they are still "Nineties band Third Eye Blind."
Oddly, talent and relevance aren't the same thing either (although they are linked -- but only by chance -- in the 3eb example). Here's a case in point: Rick Springfield put out an album in 2004 that blew away everything he had done previously. I'm not joking; I know you never heard the 2004 Rick Springfield release and never will, but seriously, it was very good. But without a doubt, he was irrelevant in 2004 -- I saw him at casino that year, for crying out loud. He was much more relevant in 1981, even though he was less talented then.
(Furthermore, Springfield's 2008 album was pretty bad, but it charted at No. 28, whereas the superior 2004 album didn't chart at all. And now he's playing small arenas/big clubs instead of backwoods casinos, and tickets cost more. So he's slightly more popular now than he was when he was doing his very best work, but he'll never again be as relevant as when he was just starting out.)
I also want to raise the issue of how a CD ends up on your CD rack (or how digital music ends up on your computer, as the case may be, but I'm still of the philosophy that it's nice to hold music in your hand). If you're like me, your CD rack -- even if you've just sorted through it and dumped the rejects at a second-hand store -- has two halves: One half is albums you really like, and the other half is albums you don't like but which you keep because they were made by bands that you like.
The latter is the category this Third Eye Blind album falls into. I am a Third Eye Blind fan (by definition, because I graduated high school right around the time 3eb was huge, and I saw them at the Red River Valley Fair; they were awesome and I got the T-shirt, etc. In my own small way, I contributed to their relevance circa 1999.). Because I'm a fan -- by definition -- I will keep this album, even though it doesn't do me much good to own it.
That leads to the question of "When does a band fall off of your list of Bands Whose Albums I Always Buy"? Is it after the first misfire, or after three or four bad albums, or do you research the purchase every time via MySpace streaming music? Researching makes a ton of logical sense, of course, but it doesn't allow for the "getting to know the music in my vehicle" phase, which is where you can go from liking to loving a song. It also does away with the phase -- common before the Internet age -- of anticipating the release of a new record.
Anticipating a new release by an old favorite is something I still get caught up in, even though it's stupid. I should spend more time with that first half of my CD collection: Music that I actually like. I have two of those coming in the mail this week -- the "(500) Days of Summer" soundtrack (I heard the music when I watched the film) and the Acid House Kings (a friend tipped me off and I loved what I heard on the band's music site) -- and one from the "I always buy their albums" category -- God Help the Girl, a side project from Stuart Murdoch, the lead singer of Belle and Sebastian, probably my favorite band (although, oddly, I needed a friend to tell me this CD existed).
Until next time, I'm late-Oughts Midwest-based entertainment blogger John Hansen, and please consider this a blip in quality and give my next blog entry a try -- even though I haven't been culturally relevant in "having my own blog" circles since mid-July. I think my last big hit was that "15 movies I hate" post, and I've been desperately trying to recreate the magic ever since.
MusicThu, 29 Oct 2009 02:37:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/10/29/3eb-GBV-Rick-Springfield-and-the-definition-of-musical-relevanceIn ‘Juliet, Naked,’ Nick Hornby lays bare the funny side of music snobberyhttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/10/24/In-Juliet-Naked-Nick-Hornby-lays-bare-the-funny-side-of-music-snobbery
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//juliet-naked-hornby.jpg">
<a href="http://www.nicksbooks.com" target="_blank">Nick Hornby</a> taps into a gold mine of insider humor in "Juliet, Naked" by making fun of extreme levels of music snobbery. Hornby invents a cult-favorite 1980s musician named Tucker Crowe and provides so much analytical detail about this made-up musician's songs that I almost wanted to google Crowe to make sure he wasn't a real person.
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Like Hornby's classic "High Fidelity," this novel is half about music and half about relationships. The central couple, who live in Gooleness, England (a town so dull that action verbs aren't used in reference to it), is Duncan and Annie. Duncan is a self-appointed Crowologist who runs a Web site analyzing the music of this musician who's best and last album, "Juliet," came out in 1986, just before he became an almost Salingeresque recluse. Annie is also a fan of "Juliet," but she doesn't engage in Duncan's level of pretension, where he assumes certain interpretations of the songs are "correct" and all other takes are "incorrect."
(Just for the record, I don't think Hornby -- despite his background as a music critic -- is a music snob on the level the Crowologists, but I suspect he has found himself approaching that level of obsession, and that he knows people like Duncan. Same thing for me as a reader: In college, me and my friend Travis used to describe songs we liked as "tasty" -- something George Carlin would've shot us for -- but I've never stalked my favorite musicians. In fact, I don't even know the names of all the members of my favorite bands. Still, I and Hornby and his fans GET people like Duncan; we know we are only a few steps away from becoming Duncan.)
Another character, living in Pennsylvania, is Tucker Crowe himself. We learn that the Crowologists' theories about Crowe have spiraled a long way from reality. Their mythology has little to do with the man, who had rather simple reasons for quitting music.
Crowe's management puts out "Juliet, Naked," a collection of rough cuts from "Juliet." When the Crowe fans of the world weigh in on the album, Crowe connects with one of them via e-mail: Annie.
One of the big clashes between Duncan and Annie is that she opens his mail and listens to "Juliet, Naked" first. She knows he'll take it as a punch in the gut to their relationship, but she does it anyway. In retaliation, Duncan posts a "Naked" review, writing that it puts to shame the original (known inevitably to insiders as "Dressed"). And by doing so, he later realizes, he has skewed the whole reception of the album by being overly positive.
Only someone obsessed with an artist can dismiss their best work in favor of the rough version of that work. A real-world example might be how "Born in the U.S.A." is brushed aside by so many Bruce Springsteen fans, when clearly it is an artistic breakthrough, at least from a pop standpoint. Am I right? Or is it equally dangerous to assume that the version the artist releases truly is the best version?
These are the types of questions raised in "Juliet, Naked," and maybe the questions themselves put the novel on a plane of music insider-ness far removed from the mainstream. I don't think so, though -- I think even casual music lovers will find this book funny.
I don't want to pull a Duncan and say that "Juliet, Naked" blows away all of Hornby's previous works, puts them to shame even (after all, "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy" set the bar high), but ... I kind of think it does.
BooksMusicSat, 24 Oct 2009 18:29:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/10/24/In-Juliet-Naked-Nick-Hornby-lays-bare-the-funny-side-of-music-snobberyEntertainment I discovered after getting a tip from someone: A top 15 listhttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/8/19/Entertainment-I-discovered-after-getting-a-tip-from-someone-A-top-15-list
<img src="http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/images//ChelseaLately1.jpg">
Part of the purpose of this blog is to let you know about cool stuff in the entertainment world. The blog's main purpose, of course, is it gives me something to do. But also, it's nice to think that I might encourage someone to look into a good TV show or movie or band or book every now and then.
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It's that old notion of paying it forward. Just about every piece of entertainment I've ever loved has come to my attention thanks to a friend or family member, and I like to think of everyone who reads this blog as my friends (truthfully, this blog is only read by my friends, but that's OK).
Here are my top 15 entertainments I discovered after getting a polite nudge (intentional or accidental) in the right direction.
1. Philip K. Dick books (from my friend Trevor, a school teacher in Texas) -- I had liked "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" in college, but hadn't given much thought to PKD's catalogue. You don't push PKD on just anyone, but Trevor realized I was weird enough to appreciate the humor of the late novelist, who just tells it like it is (only couched in bizarre sci-fi situations, although his non-sci-fi stuff is great, too). PKD is one of the few authors who can make me laugh out loud when there is no one else in the room.
2. "Chelsea Lately" (from my friend Clint, a magazine journalist in Tennessee) -- Any day that ends with Chelsea and her roundtable of barely professional comedians (and Chuy, of course) is a good one. It's a ridiculous show, as Chelsea often admits herself, but there's a lot to be said for a bunch of people laughing and having a good time. And Chelsea is naturally witty, and a natural interviewer.
3. Camera Obscura (from my friend Matt, a music geek -- and I guess he does something with computers to pay the bills -- in North Dakota) -- Matt's the type of guy where I'll say "Can you recommend a pretty-sounding, hooky pop band with a female vocalist who sounds kind of foreign and kind of depressed?" and he'll hook me up. I certainly wouldn't find a band like Camera Obscura if I relied on the "VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown."
4. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child books (my friend Josh, a post office worker in North Dakota who I haven't talked to in a few years) -- Josh was excited about seeing the film adaptation of "Relic" back in 1997, so I had to read the book he was hyping up so much. Ever since then, I've snapped up every Preston, Child and Preston/Child book I can get my hands on.
5. "School for Scoundrels" (my Minnesota friend Mike, who works in a bank in some capacity and formerly managed a pizza joint) -- Despite liking both "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Sling Blade," I somehow overlooked this Jon Heder/Billy Bob Thornton dark comedy until Mike made me watch it. It has a lot of funny -- but accurate -- observations about relationships and the "nice guys finish last" theory courtesy of Billy Bob being Billy Bob.
6. Kinda great '80s movies, usually starring Chevy Chase or John Candy (my friend Jake, who sells electric supplies in Minnesota) -- "Fletch" is an absolute masterpiece and somehow, shamefully, I had never seen it until earlier this year when Jake screened it. That scene where Chevy Chase looks at his watchless wrist and says "Look at the time"? Classic.
7. "Harry Potter" novels (my friend Cat, a college student in North Dakota) -- I saw the movies first and didn't like them (at first). But Cat lent me "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," and when you have someone else's book in your possession, there's a certain obligation to read it and get it back to them. That's what forced me through the first one, which was OK; and the second one, which was a little better; and the third one, which is what hooked me. Now I can even enjoy the movies and I bought the audiobooks, too.
8. "Jurassic Park" (my sister, Jenny) -- 1993 was the summer of "Jurassic Park." It's not likely I would've been immune to the hype, but it was actually my sister who read the Michael Crichton novel before I got to it. Now I've read pretty much his entire catalogue. I've seen all three movies, of course (I wasn't crazy about the last one), and I even own "Jurassic Park" comic books.
9. "Star Wars" (Christopher Larson, a kid who lived down the street from me when I was a kid) -- He got me an Emperor's Royal Guard action figure for my birthday in -- I believe -- 1985. I vaguely remember my dad taking me to see "Return of the Jedi" in the theater around that time, and I think it was one of the re-releases. I would've discovered "Star Wars" anyway, but I still appreciate the b-day present that pushed me in the right direction.
10. "Once and Again" (my mom) -- It's my all-time favorite show now, but I might've overlooked it completely if my mom wasn't a loyal viewer.
11. Bruce Springsteen (my dad) -- Like everyone on the planet, my dad had a vinyl record of Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A.," which -- say what you will about the marketing behind it -- is a great pop introduction to the Boss. It's the only Springsteen album in my dad's collection -- I remember "I'm on Fire" and "Dancing in the Dark" from my dad's mix tapes before they were called mix tapes -- but that's all the push I needed to delve into the hundreds of amazing songs Springsteen has penned.
12. The Wallflowers, Collective Soul, Third Eye Blind and all my favorite bands from high school (my high school buddies Shaune, in North Dakota, and Matt, now in Arkansas) -- I was a little slow to get into good music, but I had music geek friends with good taste. To this day, we still keep up with the bands we loved a decade ago. Music (along with the advent of Facebook) is why we still chat now and then.
13. "Higher Ground" and other somewhat girly -- but highly entertaining -- TV shows (a girl I really liked in college, who now lives in Montana, I think) -- Sometimes you admire a person based on what they admire, and then you start to admire it, too. Or something like that. It's not that your tastes are contrived, it's just that sometimes you need to feel comfortable liking what you like. Until recently, it wasn't cool to like Fox Family/ABC Family shows, but I still have "Higher Ground" (starring a young Hayden Christensen, A.J. Cook and Jewel Staite) on VHS, and I like the idea that I can watch it whenever I want.
14. Brian Regan (my friend Bryan, a newspaper publisher in Michigan) -- Brian Regan is one of my favorite comedians, and Bryan (or should I say Bry-ON!) recommended him to me.
15. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (Katie Holmes, the actress) -- I've never met Katie Holmes, but I was thinking about how I discovered "Buffy," a show I've loved like no other, and here's how it goes: I saw "Disturbing Behavior" because I thought Katie Holmes was cute. Then I realized I like high school-as-hell movies, and "Buffy" was the ultimate TV show in that genre. Plus, it aired in tandem with Katie's "Dawson's Creek" for a while. So I was a couple seasons late to the "Buffy" party, but like everyone who finally tuned in, I was hooked right away.
Now it's your turn. Think of the entertainment(s) you love most -- I betcha a friend or family member introduced you to it. Am I right?
MoviesBooksTelevisionMusicWed, 19 Aug 2009 02:26:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/8/19/Entertainment-I-discovered-after-getting-a-tip-from-someone-A-top-15-listFor some reason, I really like reading books about Bruce Springsteenhttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/8/16/For-some-reason-I-really-like-reading-books-about-Bruce-Springsteen
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Does anyone else out there like reading about a subject more than you like the subject itself? I suppose tabloid readers would qualify -- the types who need to know who Jennifer Aniston is dating, but won't pay money to see her new movie.
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But in this case, I'm talking about books, preferably big, fat biographies. My library had "Glory Days: Bruce Springsteen in the 1980s" by Dave Marsh, and I've thoroughly enjoyed sitting on my balcony with a breeze through the trees, cars rushing by below, a souvenir sports cup of H2O and this 478-page beast from 1987.
I can devour the nuances of how the track listing for "Born in the U.S.A." was decided upon, thrill at Marsh's accounts of stadium shows from 1985, be engrossed by the chronicle of Springsteen's evolution as a promoter of social change. And yet: I haven't bought the Boss' 2009 album yet. I can't even think of what it's called offhand.
Now granted, I have more CDs by Springsteen than by any other artist. I won't automatically call him my favorite musician (thinking of current bands, I'm obsessed with Camera Obscura; growing up, I felt the Wallflowers spoke to me; for sheer song-making talent, Butch Walker gets my vote); but he's certainly my favorite among legendary musicians.
But here's the interesting thing: I took a break after Marsh's chapters on "Born in the U.S.A." and popped said album into my CD player. Then I got kinda bored and went back to the book. "Born in the U.S.A.," which turned 25 years old this year, is a great album. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXQYT_L4K0U" target="_blank">"Downbound Train,"</a> which Marsh hates (bizarrely, considering how much he celebrates the Boss' catalogue), is my favorite Boss song. But this time I thought, "Yeah, I know how that album goes. Now let's get back to reading about the album, because that's what's really interesting."
It's not the first time this has happened. I read a Springsteen biography ("Ain't No Sin to Be Glad You're Alive" by Eric Alterman) in my car on breaks during the summer of 2002 when I stocked produce at a grocery store. I imagined myself being as downtrodden as the characters in Bruce's songs -- here I was filling shelves with russet potatoes when clearly I was meant to be writing about rock music for a newspaper (or a blog, as the case may be). I now know how ignorant and shallow that notion was -- I had/have it much better than Springsteenian characters, simply by virtue of not being jobless or homeless.
On one restless night a couple years ago, I read "Bruce Springsteen's America: The People Listening, A Poet Singing," edited by Robert Coles, until the sun came up. Then I went to bed in the morning, just like Bruce -- or Bruce's character, if you prefer -- in "Dancing in the Dark."
I don't read about Springsteen entirely to learn about Springsteen -- because by now I know his story pretty well. It's more about going back to a time and place that existed in my lifetime, but which I only know about from books (because I was a kid who grew up in a city, with a home and a family -- but many kids aren't so lucky). In the case of Marsh's book, the time and place is 1984 in working-class America. Strictly speaking, Marsh doesn't paint an appealing picture of this heartland that Springsteen was touring through -- people can't find jobs, and some don't have homes. And yet it is appealing, in the way that any book that paints a picture of the past is appealing.
I've seen Springsteen and the E Street Band in concert (in 1999 at the Fargodome, too early in my Springsteen phase to appreciate the show), and I've enjoyed his records in all their styles -- I think "Magic," his most recent rock album before this year's Super Bowl-hyped effort, holds up first song to last; sometimes I'm in a dark enough mood to appreciate the stark brilliance of "Nebraska."
But I think I like reading about Springsteen more than listening to him. I don't know what that says about me -- maybe it just means I like a good tune but I love a good book.
But it still seems bizarre enough to start a comment thread about this question: Is there a subject you enjoy reading about so much that it actually eclipses your enjoyment of the original material? If so, what is it?
BooksMusicSun, 16 Aug 2009 00:22:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/8/16/For-some-reason-I-really-like-reading-books-about-Bruce-SpringsteenDo I like country music now, or does country music finally like me?http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/8/4/Do-I-like-country-music-now-or-does-country-music-finally-like-me
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I used to think country music was something old people liked (just as rap music was something black people -- and the white kids of Fargo, N.D. -- liked). I feared maybe I would end up liking country music more and more as the years went by. I had seen my dad, who liked the Beatles when he was younger, listening to Dwight Yoakam. And my sister, who liked Green Day as a kid, suddenly had Deanna Carter in her CD collection.
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I always resisted. Then last year, Darius Rucker -- Hootie himself -- released a country album that didn't suck. And now I like two country songs in the VH1 top 20, Miley Cyrus' <a href="http://www.cmt.com/videos/miley-cyrus/343844/the-climb.jhtml" target="_blank">"The Climb"</a> and Taylor Swift's <a href="http://www.cmt.com/videos/taylor-swift/377889/you-belong-with-me.jhtml" target="_blank">"You Belong with Me."</a>
Actually, let me re-type that: I like two "country" songs, because if I like them, they can be country in quotes only. In reality, they must be pop songs.
On the other hand, these same videos are played on CMT. And Swift started out in country, and Cyrus comes from country lineage. So they must be country songs.
Clearly, this was a question for my music geek buddy, Matt, so I e-mailed him. His suggested label: "Pop country."
In our discussion about pop country, we also struck on last year's <a href="http://www.cmt.com/videos/rehab/266285/bartender-song.jhtml" target="_blank">"Bartender Song"</a> by Rehab. It goes: "She stole my heart in a trailer park/So I jacked the keys to her father's car/And crashed that Chevrolet/And then stepped away."
Thematically and vocally, "Bartender Song" is modern country (or a parody of it), but there are a few major giveaways that mark it as a pretender: 1, It's too well-written to come from a major country star, 2, there's a section in the song that is clearly a rap breakdown, and 3, the lead singer isn't wearing a cowboy hat in the video (meanwhile, he makes a lot of "rap" movements with his hands).
"I feel bad for the loyal CMT watchers," Matt wrote in his e-mail. "They all thought that was the best song and then bought the disc and realized every other song was rap rock. Pretty funny stuff."
It is funny to think that someone could enjoy a rap-rock song that has a tacked-on country aspect, and then be disappointed by a disc that sounds like the same as that song, just minus the tacked-on stuff.
Rehab's brief inroads to the country community (dirt roads, I imagine), along with the marketing tactic of remixing songs for different TV channels (a practice that, to their credit, isn't followed by Swift and Cyrus on the aforementioned songs), points to something ridiculous about music marketing. The marketers think that even though we all like any song that sounds good to our ear, we also need labels to define what we like.
This is how they think we think:
From a pop-only fan's viewpoint, Swift can be dismissed until she drops the twang for one song, then she's OK. And "The Climb" would be better if Cyrus didn't sound twangy on the lyric "It ain't about how fast ah git thare." Mostly, she should get back to being Hannah Montana.
From a country-only fan's viewpoint, Rehab is good up until the point that they're outed as not being country. Swift is good because she's country and always has been. She "dresses" country, wearing a lot of beiges that call to mind wheat fields, and her hair is in that wavy style that suggests she doesn't care too much because she has to go milk the cows.
Cyrus is normally not good because she's pop (even though Hannah Montana sounds like a country name), but when she does a country song, she's good; after all, she's Billy Ray's daughter.
(Of course, the real irony of this is that country music hasn't sounded like country music since 1970, so by that definition, modern country music fans aren't true country music fans. But I don't want to get off track, so I'll leave that alone.)
But from a music fan's (me) viewpoint, what sounds good sounds good -- "Bartender Song" is funny, "You Belong with Me" is catchy and "The Climb" is actually kind of epic.
It'd be nice if we were marketed to more often.
MusicTue, 04 Aug 2009 02:51:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/8/4/Do-I-like-country-music-now-or-does-country-music-finally-like-meThe strange life of Michael Jackson: In the end, the music speaks loudesthttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/6/26/The-strange-life-of-Michael-Jackson-In-the-end-the-music-speaks-loudest
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Michael Jackson proclaimed himself the King of Pop, but the label caught on because he earned it. I can't think of any other artist whose death could prompt MTV to actually cover music again.
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Obituaries about MJ necessarily note the weird, tabloidish aspects of his life after his music career wound down (most notably, the bizarre change in his skin color and nose shape). 1995 marked his transition from musician to full-time weirdo; that year's "HIStory" was his last original release, and the fact that it was packaged with a greatest hits disc hinted that the end was near.
But a good chunk of the news coverage and all of the Facebook posts from my friends are about the Gloved One's music and artistry. "Thriller" is the best-selling album of all time, and it's deserving of that honor. After all, something has to be the best-selling album of all time, so it might as well be one where every song is a home run.
MJ was one of the first musicians I liked; his tunes were very easy for a music novice to get into. Yet a mature listener could also appreciate the production values that made the songs seem effortless.
At one point, I owned the five major Jackson albums -- "Off the Wall" (1979), "Thriller" (1982), "Bad" (1987), "Dangerous" (1991) and "HIStory" (1995). I still have "Bad," which is a great pop album from start to finish, and "HIStory," which has a few underappreciated gems.
I like the atmospheric "Stranger in Moscow," where Michael repeatedly, poignantly asked "How does it feel?" years before Avril Lavigne repeated the sentiment. "Earth Song" also hinted at a career shift toward issue-oriented songs that never materialized.
Maybe it still would have. At the time of his death at age 50 (too young, but he seemed even younger than that), MJ was preparing for a tour in Europe, and I think a decent new song or two would have launched a genuine comeback -- he was due for one.
Even if his catalogue is mostly good, simple pop tunes -- "Thriller," "Billie Jean," "Smooth Criminal," "Bad" and "Beat It" use movie clichés as song and video topics -- Jackson was somehow bigger than his music. Certainly, the dance moves and showmanship played a part.
But how do you explain the success of something like "Man in the Mirror" or "Black or White?" Those songs could be dismissed as manipulative fluff, except that Jackson gives off the air of being as delicate as a child when singing broadly (not as personally as the titles might suggest) about living in a world that doesn't live up to your expectations.
And, by many accounts, Jackson was essentially an adult child whose playground (the planet) didn't live up to his reasonable, but also naïve, standards. And certainly there are problems with that approach to life, but my impression is that he embodied the innocent, hopeful aspects of childhood more so than the immature, whiny aspect.
But it's up to the biographers to determine what his life meant. Michael Jackson's great music is what I'm remembering today.
MusicFri, 26 Jun 2009 02:22:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/6/26/The-strange-life-of-Michael-Jackson-In-the-end-the-music-speaks-loudestA belated nod to great music: Christophe Beck’s ‘Buffy’ score is available on CDhttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/6/19/A-belated-nod-to-great-music-Christophe-Becks-Buffy-score-is-available-on-CD
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From the "better late than never" file, Christophe Beck's <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Christophe+Beck/Buffy+the+Vampire+Slayer%3A+The+Score" target="_blank">"Buffy" score</a> is finally available on CD. It actually came out in 2008, and I just stumbled across it the other day in Best Buy. But 2008 was still five years after the series ended and seven years after Beck left the show. (He now primarily does film compositions.)
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The very fact that the TV score was noticed by the fans -- who had been demanding this release for years -- shows how good it was. Renowned TV composers comprise a short list: Certainly, Mark Snow's "X-Files" work comes to mind. And among current shows, I think "24" composer Sean Callery does a good job (although like everything on that show, the music is starting to repeat itself).
The movie "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" zinged the business of TV scoring nicely in the scene where Jason Segel's character is completely phoning it in as he plays clichéd crime music for a "CSI"-style show. When he's having a bad day, he plays "Seinfeld"-style music over the top of the crime scenes. TV scores tend to be so predictable that you can be a fan of a series without even realizing the show has a score.
But "Buffy" fans couldn't help but notice Beck's contribution to Seasons 2-5 (which -- no coincidence -- were the series' peak years). The CD includes a lot of his classics, including a great stretch of Season 3 music: the haunting "Slayer's Elegy," from when an alternate-universe Buffy stakes the entire cast in "The Wish"; the bittersweet "Magic Snow Music," from when the Powers That Be thwart Angel's suicide attempt in "Amends," and the aggressively horn-driven "Faith's End" from the Buffy-Faith fight in "Graduation Day Part 1." It's almost impossible to imagine these scenes without Beck's music.
Season 4's "Hush" and "Restless" were heavily music-driven -- give "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon credit for tapping into a major strength on his team -- and this CD includes seven cuts from those two episodes. Season 5 finale "The Gift" also gets four tracks.
The classic Buffy-Angel love theme ("Close Your Eyes") isn't included, presumably because it was released as part of the "Buffy" soundtrack way back in 1999. With 29 tracks, you'll get your money's worth from this CD, although there are enough omissions to make up a decent second volume (the Buffy-Angel ice skating music from "What's My Line Part 1" comes to mind).
Whedon owes Beck almost as much as George Lucas owes John Williams. It's nice to see he's finally been acknowledged in CD form.
TelevisionMusicBuffy/AngelFri, 19 Jun 2009 22:00:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/6/19/A-belated-nod-to-great-music-Christophe-Becks-Buffy-score-is-available-on-CDI’m completely smitten with Tracyanne Campbellhttp://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/6/17/Im-completely-smitten-with-Tracyanne-Campbell
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Like many overly sensitive guys in their (extremely) late 20s, I have a long-distance crush on Camera Obscura lead singer/songwriter Tracyanne Campbell. Yeah, I know I have to get in line, especially after the release of the band's fourth album, "My Maudlin Career," which came out in April.
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Here's the band's <a href="http://www.camera-obscura.net/" target="_blank">official Web site,</a> and here's its <a href="http://www.myspace.com/cameraobscuraband" target="_blank">MySpace page,</a> where you can stream a few tracks.
Camera Obscura's mainstream breakthrough, 2006's "Let's Get Out of this Country," was pleasant, light pop. When Campbell sings "I won't be seeing you for a long while/I hope it's not as long as this country mile," it's a wave of feeling that sweeps you up. And "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken" showed the Scottish band's catchy side.
But a couple tracks on "My Maudlin Career" put Camera Obscura on par with the best work of the Doves, Drudge and Belle & Sebastian with its ability to create an immersive soundscape while also being hookier than ever. These are songs you can live inside of.
Campbell's songwriting is what you'd expect to find in the diary of an overly sensitive young woman trying to explain the happy-sad feelings of love using the English language. If you combine those words with the language of pop music -- particularly '60s girl group instrumentation and modern studio polish -- the message comes through crystal clear.
On "Swans," about a boy (whom she's in love with, of course) who's never been to America, it sounds like the most epic thing ever when Campbell sings: "And you've never touched a deer/A deer/A deer/My dear."
On "Honey in the Sun," she finds a perfect, bittersweet phrase to describe the feeling of being helplessly in love when, for practical reasons, you'd rather not be: "I wish my heart was as cold as the morning dew/But it's as warm as saxophones and honey in the sun for you." It's an odd lyric on paper, but it totally works.
I've found myself jumping to those two tracks a lot, but the whole album sounds good -- with Campbell's cute, accessible voice, she could make something from Nickelback's catalogue sound pleasant. Bad writing isn't a problem on "My Maudlin Career," though, and as of June 2009 I have a new favorite band -- and yeah, I know I'm joining a party that already started.
MusicWed, 17 Jun 2009 11:28:00 -0700http://www.johnvhansen.com/jvh/blog/index.cfm/2009/6/17/Im-completely-smitten-with-Tracyanne-Campbell